The Question to the Answer
by asc12
Summary: Is an accident really just an accident or was it intentional to draw out Dr. Sweets? The recent and mysterious discover of a young gril brings up a lot of questions Sweets would rather forget but fail to leave him alone. Story follows The Sequel in the Story but because of characters, not story. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

ASC: I said I would come up with another one. :) Enjoy!

Can be read alone but would take place months after The Title in the Story & The Sequel to the Story. I'm very linear. Sometimes.

And I don't own Bones! Just my own 206.

* * *

The Question to the Answer.

* * *

"Hey Sweets." Booth said into the phone.

"Yes Agent Booth." Sweets said back and Booth thought of how Sweets had, since the aftermath of Derringer and immediately followed by Pelant's computer afterlife three months ago. It left him with responses varying from calling him _Agent Booth _to _Booth. _The FBI man knew that it tended to indicate Sweets mood, this meant he was not in a good mood.

"Hey where are you."

"Lost." Sweets said defeated, not trying to hide it.

"Lost what do you mean lost, we're following a grid, that's how you search for missing people!" Booth said increasingly irritated as he spoke. "Do I need a send out another search team to look for a member _of _the search team?" Booth took a break from his tirade to drink a great deal of water.

"I'm not completely lost, agent." Sweets said and Booth realized Sweets was getting really irritated now that he was just _agent_. "I have a general idea of where I am. It's just like 99 degrees and humid out here. And it's a giant forest." Sweets would have preferred to not be wearing dark pants and the dark blue FBI vest but this wasn't on his initial list of to do today.

"It's actually 103 degrees today Sweets. Do you have water with you?" Booth said and he could hear the exasperated sigh over the phone as he sounded like a father.

"Yep." Sweets said and Booth knew that was a lie. Sweets looked down at his empty water bottle. "Oh, look I just found the marker, I'll be back in a few."

"What marker is that?" Booth asked to make sure Sweets wasn't lying.

"97." He responded and Booth looked to the map and got an idea of where Sweets was.

"Okay, that means you should be back to base in thirty minutes."

"I'm not that in shape Booth." Sweets said sarcastically over the line before he hung up.

_And back to Booth. From Agent Booth to Agent to Booth, _he said to himself. Sweets moods as well as phases of independence and dependence moved like the wind since the incidents. Sweets was aware of them but eluded other psychologists, protecting his mind and his past like a buried treasure. He was cleared for duty and most of the time he was fine. Booth tried to tell himself it was just because they were all hot, out in the boondocks looking for a missing 14 year old girl that was causing the stress. But somehow he wasn't so sure.

"Angela, yeah it's me Booth. Can you track Sweets cell for me? No of course he doesn't know. Yes, we are searching for the girl and Sweets did answer, I'm just being cautious, it's really hot out here."

Sweets wiped his head again and wished he had some more water. He trudged the ground trying not to trip over the growth. He hadn't wanted to back yet. It was his suggestion that they search here and dammit he wanted to prove he was right. And if he wasn't he preferred just to stay lost in the forest.

_Bambi had friends in the forest. _Sweets told himself followed by a thorough chastising of himself for the animated comparison. _Well if you're Bambi, then who's Thumper? Booth? And who is Flower? Oh shut up Lance. _He told himself.

Sweets tripped over something and hoped it was a clue, a sign, anything at this point besides the empty bottle it turned out to be. Sweets kicked it to the side as he made his way back to the base area still feeling frustrated that nothing had been found. He knew Booth would say "better luck next time kid" for which he would hate the "kid" but he knew Booth had fought hard to get the FBI to go with Sweets suggestion. He felt like he had in turn let Booth down.

Sweets felt a cool breeze and thought it strange to be standing the sun and feel such a cool feeling. He stopped and felt like he hadn't heard a sound in a while. He had heard the low hums of bees, squeaks of birds and the unsettling scurry of either critters of snakes. He figured he had preferred small animals to snakes.

Again Sweets felt the cool air and followed his instinct and turned off the path to his right. The thick trees offered a cool shade and Sweets wondered why that cool feeling would have transferred to where he was. He was about to turn back when he saw some white residue on a tree. It appeared to make a shape so he looked closer at it. It appeared to be a symbol etched in white chalk.

He took his phone out and took a picture. He attempted to send it to Angela but he had no service. He put the phone back in his pocket and noticed another on another nearby tree. He approached this new symbol and took a picture of the additional symbol as well. Soon he realized that they were lined on trees in a row, alternating from north to south.

Sweets continued to snap shots of the next three trees and paused as he saw the clearing ahead. He took a few more short steps forward knocking away a few of the small gray stones that formed a circle. He saw all he needed to see. He turned quickly and headed back out of the clearing and past the trees.

Sweets stepped out of the cool tree shaded area and back into the sun. The sudden change in temperature made him feel dizzy and he fell from his stance to the ground in a sitting position.

"Sweets!" Sweets could hear Booth shout though he was busy rubbing his head which pounded. The quick departure from the cool air to the heat had taken a toll.

"Hey, you okay?" Booth said as Sweets couldn't see him but he could tell he was right next to him. Sweets felt a cool bottle of water being pushing into his hand.

"Yeah, I'm fine, dizzy, hot."

"Come on let's get back." Booth said, anxious to pull the young man to his feet.

"No, not yet." Sweets said trying not to sway on his feet too obviously.

"Sweets we…"

"I found her." He said and Booth paused. Sweets felt better now and looked at Booth. "She's in there. She's dead."

Booth muttered an expletive under his breath.

"Why didn't you call?" He asked pulling out his phone to call it in.

"No service." Sweets said pulling his phone out again to look at it and was surprised he again had service.

"Yes this is Agent Booth, Dr. Lance Sweets has located the body. Yeah." Booth shut his phone. "You feel okay, can you show me?"

"Yeah." Sweets said finishing the last of the water bottle.

Sweets felt better now and led the way into the clearing that this time was not nearly as cool.

"What?" Booth asked and Sweets shook his head confused as well.

"Nothing, it just seemed cooler in here before."

Booth said nothing and followed Sweets.

"What are these?" Booth asked as they passed the markings.

"They look to me like Wicca talismans." Sweets said.

"Witchcraft?" Booth asked surprised.

"You can see where this is heading." Sweets said sarcastically.

The approached the same clearing, the ground cover scraped clean down to the brown dirt. The area was circled with the gray rocks and in the center on a platform for was a mostly skeletal remains of a young woman.

"Are we sure it's her?" Booth asked though he was sure that Sweets was correct.

"The bracelet." Sweets said pointing from the perimeter of the rocks. "It was the handmade one her father described."

"Yeah, it's her." Booth said not sure if he was glad it was her and not an additional victim in the clearing. "I was hoping we could have…"

"Yeah me too." Sweets finished their hopes the girl was to be found alive.

"Hey, were these like this?" Booth asked pointing down to the rocks.

"No, I tripped over them." Sweets said as Booth put them back in place.

"Let's leave the scene like it was. I'm sure Hodgins and Bones will want it just so."

Sweets nodded as they headed out of the area again. Just as they stepped out Sweets felt that cool breeze one quick last time. He shook it off and caught up with Booth.


	2. Chapter 2

ASC: Sorry for the delay in the update, I had to finish up some other projects. I'm on it now!

Chapter 2.

"Hey Bones." Booth said greeting Dr. Temperance Brennan as she arrived.

"Booth." She acknowledged in return as she approached.

"Whoa, this is wicked." Hodgins said approaching the circle.

"Bones, I suspect it's her but if we can get a confirmation for sure I'd like to tell her parents." Booth said. He knew the bracelet matched as did her general size but Booth did not want to inform the parents of the wrong finding.

"I understand Booth." Brennan said getting to work.

"Hey Sweets." Hodgins greeted as Sweets approached. "Good work, I hear this was your suggestion to look out here."

Sweets nodded his head as though he wondered if he was glad that he was right or not but at least the family would have closure. "The way the family had described her activity it sounded like she was practicing Wicca. Based on her diary I deduced this is where she may have come with them."

"Any ideas on whom she came with?" Hodgins asked.

"No, not yet." Sweets said knowing much more work lay ahead.

"Well we'll get there Sweets." Booth wasn't sure why but Sweets looked disappointed he hadn't solved the whole puzzle immediately.

"Well it's definitely murder." Brennan said analyzing the body. "It appears that her wrists and throat were cut. But I will need to take the body back to the lab for more. I can also compare dentals from there as well."

"Well Sweets, looks like we head back to the office and make some calls." Booth said with a sigh.

"Back to the office huh?" Hodgins said to Sweets while collecting soil samples. He said it as though it were suspicious.

"Yes, that is where Booth and Sweets work." Brennan said in her usual way of missing undertones.

"Going to see Emma there?" Hodgins teased.

"I would imagine so, she works there as well." Brennan said.

Sweets rolled his eyes. "There is nothing going on between me and Emma." Sweets said with an angry tone.

"Well why not? It's obvious you like her." Hodgins continued to tease. "Your cheeks get all red when she's around."

"Alright Hodgins enough." Booth said. "Come on Sweets, let's go. Bones, let me know when you get something."

"I will." She confirmed as Sweets and Booth left.

* * *

The car ride back was beginning as a quiet one.

"Don't let Hodgins bug you, he's really just trying to help." Booth said to the silent and moody young doctor next to him.

"It's fine." Sweets said in a clipped tone.

"But you know it's not a bad question, I mean, you know why don't you ask Emma out? Hodgins is right you do like her."

Sweets let out a heavy and annoyed sigh.

"First of all we work together, which isn't allowed and she needs this job. Second of all she just ended her marriage to a real jerk."

"Well those are good reasons but I don't think that's just all there is." Booth said playing psychologist now.

Sweets tried to hide the amusement that Booth was so perceptive today, and had been since the incidents months ago. He noticed that Booth tended not to hide his concern as well as he once did.

"She's pretty." Sweets admitted.

"And that's a problem because…." Booth began. Sweets remained quiet and Booth caught on. He wasn't about to tell the young doctor he was a cutie so she shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Let's forget about it, I'd like to do that." Sweets said now equally uncomfortable.

"No, it's just that you shouldn't be so unconfident." Booth said feeling comfortable with that level of assurance.

"Let's just, get back to the office." Sweets said and they continued the drive in silence.

Back at the Hoover Building Sweets headed to his office to comb over the young girl's diary again while Booth awaited confirmation again from Brennan. That came about an hour later and Booth headed towards Sweets office.

"Hey Emma." Booth said greeting her at the desk. "Sweets in?"

"Yes he is Agent Booth." She said getting up to open the door.

"I can get it. Thanks." He said as she sat back down. She seemed quieter today than usual but Booth headed into Sweets office.

"Hey Sweets." Booth said and after a moment. Booth looked to see what he was so enthralled with and saw the girl's diary in front of him. "Find anything else?"

Sweets closed the book. "No, not really. She was just uh, pretty lonely it seems like. I can see why she easily fell into a group looking for acceptance. The same thing tends to happen in gang situations, which is essentially what this is."

"A gang of witches?" Booth asked as though it were silly.

"Well the notion that witchcraft is not as serious because it seems silly is to blame. The reality is that when a group bases it's gatherings on secrets and rules it does conform to the gang or pack arch type."

"So how do we fight witches?" Booth asked hardly trying to hide the humor is his tone. "Water?"

Sweets rolled his eyes. "The fact that the group's reason to be is witchcraft doesn't negate the seriousness that is involved in a secretive group. That is what we need to be more leery of."

"Good, so I don't have to worry about getting warts then?"

"Not going to say that isn't a possibility."

Booth looked puzzled until Sweets smiled and Booth realized Sweets was cracking a joke. He wasn't always used to it and welcomed the return of happy Sweets.

"Come on, the girl's family is on their way."

* * *

Booth and Sweets sat down with the girl's, Tabitha Parker's, parents. After breaking the bad news Booth offered his condolences and Sweets his usual offer of support. Neither were surprised when the parents knew nothing of their daughter's new activities. They thought she had been involved in a drama club in her spare time. Sweets surmised that her Wiccan paraphernalia was stored some place outside the house. The parents had no idea about possible friends that would have been involved with their daughter's death.

The interview left the two with few suspects. Booth received a call from Angela who had some evidence from the body for them to look at. The duo headed to the Jeffersonian.

* * *

Booth headed to find Brennan while Sweets headed to Angela's office.

"Hey Angela, did you find something?" Sweets asked as he came in.

"Yeah but let's wait till everyone gets in here, I hate repeating myself over and over." Angela was feeling playful. "So I hear that you won't ask Emma out."

Sweets rolled his eyes again. "Why is this a conversation topic?"

"Because it's obvious you like her and you know it'd be nice to see you, you know happy."

"Do you always equate happiness to being with someone?"

"Oh don't psychoanalyze me Sweetie." Angela said teasing. "But come on, seriously why not?"

"Besides the fact we couldn't because we work together?"

"If you wanted to get around it you would. And you haven't so what gives?"

Sweets knew he wasn't going to be able to avoid Angela, she would get it out of him.

"You know why I broke up with Daisy don't you?"

Angela thought about poor deceased Daisy and tried to think back past that to when she and Sweets broke up.

"She wanted the marriage, the family, the whole thing. I don't." Sweets said.

"Yeah but why not, look at us or Booth and Brennan, even Cam and Arastoo, I mean there are happy endings. Your parents were great, right?"

Sweets was glad that Booth & Brennan came in along with Hodgins so he didn't have to answer. _What would I have said _Sweets wondered to himself. He was sure that Angela didn't know the particulars of his early childhood and he was fine to leave it that way. Sweets couldn't get past the sad memories of a youth enough to have a desire to have a family of his own.

"So what do we have Angela?" Booth asked as Angela brought up images on the screen.

"Well the herbs that Hodgins found at the scene were a mixture of everyday herbs you could grow at home and some that were a little more exotic. One in particular, Hari is extremely rare and too difficult to grow in this climate, in fact the only place you can grow it is in a small area in Iceland. Only one store in the DC area sells this."

"Great, you can get us the address?" Booth asked.

"Yes, but I do have one other thing. I put these ingredients in to see what kind of match I could find, why someone would cast this sort of spell, if you will." Angela said pulling up more images. "This one appears to be a cleansing spell, sending one into the afterlife with a clean slate."

"So what did she do that she needed a clean slate?" Booth wondered aloud

"I'd like to get back to the bones now, there are some marks that I am unsure of." Brennan said as she left.

"Okay Sweets, how about we go and interview the owner of a magic shop?" Booth said to Sweets who shrugged a 'why not.'

"It's an herbal dealer." Angela shouted after them.

"Yeah because that sounds better." Sweets added sarcastically.


	3. Chapter 3

Less than an hour later Booth and Sweets arrived at "Herbal Wonders" and went inside. The owner instantly stiffened when the two G-men in suits walked in.

"Are you the owner?" Booth asked.

"Yes." The Caucasian woman in her late fifties asked. "What do you want?"

"I'm Special Agent Booth, this is Dr. Lance Sweets, we are with the F.B.I." He said showing identification. "Did you sell any Hari to this young woman?" Booth asked holding up the photo of Tabitha Parker.

The woman studied the photo and as she did so Sweets studied her face.

"No." She said handing it back.

"You're lying." Sweets said and Booth looked to Sweets, always amazed he could detect that, but never admitted it.

"I said I didn't sell it to her, but she was another girl who bought it." The store owner clarified.

"Can you give us a description of the other woman?" Booth asked.

"No, she looked like all the rest." The woman wasn't being very helpful.

"But yet you remember this woman?" Sweets asked sarcastically.

The woman refrained from rolling her eyes. "This gal," she began pointing to the photo, "she wasn't wearing all black and all black eye liner. The rest of them, much like the rest of the clientele does."

"Interesting." Sweets said. "So our young witch Tabitha was not mimicking the look of her friends."

"What did this girl do?" The store owner asked.

"She died." Booth said.

Sweets observed a difference in the store owner, she softened at that news. "If you know anything that could help us, we would like to know."

"She was with three other girls. I really couldn't tell you much of what she looked like they had so much make up on and crazy hair color that changed each time they came in. They were a bit mean to her though. When they walked around they teased her that she had to do what they wanted. I couldn't hear what all they said but you could tell she just followed them around and did what they wanted."

Sweets wondered if he knew what that was like a bit too much.

"When were they in here?" Booth asked.

"It was a week and a half ago. Either Tuesday or Wednesday. I don't remember which. They paid cash, of course."

"Well if you remember anything else, here is my card." Booth said handing one over. He and Sweets left.

"Something on your mind Sweets?"

"Hm? Oh, uh, just wondering what now, feels like a dead end." He said getting into the front seat of the SUV.

"What about their circles, maybe Angela could run a list of local witch circles." Booth suggested and began to call.

"I wouldn't get too excited Booth, these circles run like most gang circles. They are secretive and exclusive from outsiders. It would be why they treated Tabitha so rough when she wanted to join."

As they drove soon Angela was on the phone and Booth told her his idea.

"I can run it but I think they are usually pretty secretive. It's not like joining the Y." Angela said over the speaker and Sweets gave Booth the 'I told you so' look. "Luckily at Tabitha's age most kids flaunt their secretive nature on social media sites. It tends to negate the point, but you know, they're teenagers. They know everything." Angela teased over the line. "I'm going to run Tabitha's image across some social media sites and see if I get any hits."

"Hey Angela," Sweets said before she hung up. "Did you get a chance to run the images of the symbols on the trees and the body site?"

"What symbols?"

"They were symbols on the trees, I assumed Hodgins took pictures of them." Sweets said confused, Hodgins was usually on top of things.

"I'll check with Hodgins but he didn't mention anything."

"We're on our way back there now." Booth said.

* * *

The government men were back to the Jeffersonian soon and went to Angela's office. She had a lot of images on her screen of young women in dark clothes with lots of makeup involved in a range of activities.

"Wow, what's going on here?" Booth asked as they came in.

"A reminder that I'm glad to have a boy." Angela said. "Good luck by the way."

"Oh this would ever be Christine." Booth said looking at the images.

"Can you be so sure?" Angela asked thinking of her own free youth.

"Sweets, back me up here, it's parenting right, good parenting that matters." Booth asked and Sweets felt a bit pale at the topic of good parenting. _Sure it matters, like when your foster dad beats you for sport._

"Sweets?" Booth asked again and Sweets began to nod affirmatively.

"So what is going on here?" Booth asked turning to the images.

"Everything. They of course photographed themselves doing everything. From the dates you can see that their activities become more intense. It starts with them sitting around reading spell books, then dancing naked under the moon, then playing with fire, then cutting themselves and using the blood for what I assume are spells..."

"They are definitely escalating." Sweets said watching the images go by. "The first images though, you said they were sitting around reading books."

"Spell books of course." Angela added.

"Are without the heavy make up? Can you run their image thru and find a match?" Sweets asked as Brennan was coming in the room.

"Yes, good idea Sweets." Angela said running the images thru and coming up with a match on one of them. "Looks like Francis Avaya is her real name but of course she goes by Willow."

Booth got out his phone to get an address for 'Willow.'

"What about Tabitha, where is she in these photos?" Sweets asked and pulled up some images where Tabitha was present.

"These are the ones that I more easily located. As you can see, she is not part of the original group. She appears in the photos about six months later. When she does appear in them she's in the back ground trying to work her way in. Then she seems to be the subject receiving the treatments more than she is part of the group."

"She seems quite desperate to fit in." Brennan observed.

"From what Tabitha's parents said she didn't really fit in with anyone, she may have been quite desperate to join a group, any group." Sweets said though it felt like he was saying more.

"Well why anything like this is just weird." Angela said flipping thru the images. "I like a group of friends just like the next person, but this is dark."

Brennan looked at Sweets from the corner of her eye and thought of Sweet's attraction to death metal music and chose to change the subject for him.

"So it's clear that the group was hazing the victim." Brennan stated.

"Yes, but I don't think they ever really wanted her to be part _of _the group. She's never brought in as part of them, as you can see. She's more the brunt of their joke."

"I got it!" Booth said. "So who wants to go with me to see the little witch?"

Sweets rolled his eyes at the idea of how many more puns Booth was going to come up with.

"I'll go, I could stand to get out of the lab." Brennan said.

"Sweets, want to go?" Booth asked.

"No thanks." He said not wanting to be the third wheel. "Angela, did you find those photos of Hodgins?"

"No. I asked him about them but he said there were none." Angela responded and Brennan paused.

"Images of what?" She asked.

"The trees had symbols on them, it's what caught my attention back to the crime scene. They were painted in what looked like a white chalk." Sweets said.

"There was no rain while we were out there." Brennan observed.

"Hodgins said he saw nothing." Angela reiterated.

"Wait, I took some." Sweets remembered, retrieving them on his phone.

"Okay, well you two have fun with that, we are going to see Willow." Booth said taking Brennan by the arm.

* * *

Booth was hardly surprised when they entered a suburban area to Willow's address. After greeting Willow's mother who informed them her daughter was at school, soon to be home, they said they would wait.

Willow's mother showed obvious concern that her daughter was in trouble. She left for the kitchen but Booth and Brennan could hear a not so hushed phone call to Willow that she needed to come home immediately after school. It was obvious that Willow's mother was not in control of her daughter. She tried to compose herself as she came in the room.

"Willow may not be coming home right after school." She informed them with obvious embarrassment.

"Do you know where she goes and hangs out after school?" Booth asked.

"You mean if she actually goes?" The woman said with obvious exhaustion at her daughter. "I have no idea who my daughter is anymore."

Booth looked at the photos on the table of a cute little girl with admiring eyes looking at her mother. The question rose in his mind again about Christine.

"Thank you, we'll see if we can find anything. Come on Bones, let's go."

After they left the house Booth called Angela and put her on speaker.

"Angela, yeah Willow isn't coming home today. Do you have any idea where these hang outs are in those photos?"

"Yeah, I might. I've also got an ID on another one of the girls, Sarah Smith. She goes by Belladonna. Sweets says she would be the leader of the group."

Sweets came on the line. "She's highly aggressive Booth, she's seen in many of the photos as nearly forcing the girls to do what she wants them to."

"Well where can we find this circle of witches?" Booth asked.

"That would be a coven." Brennan corrected.

"Where you already were, back at the body site." Angela said.

"They wouldn't go back there." Booth said discounting it.

"They're teenage girls Booth, they're not rational." Angela reminded him.

"The coven seems to think the woods will protect them, the symbols on the trees were various pentacles and pentagrams. They think they will be protected within the circle." Sweets explained from his and Angela's research.

"So as long as I stay out of the circle I'm okay." Booth added sarcastically.

"According to their spells, sure." Angela said.

"This is not rational, Wicca is…" Brennan began but Booth interrupted her.

"I know Bones, I know."

"Why didn't we see the symbols when we arrived?" Brennan asked over the speaker.

"I have no idea, they must have faded or something. Maybe the humidity that day?" Angela suggested.

"Okay, we're on our way, we'll let you know if we find them." Booth said.

Angela stopped him, "Oh Booth, watch out in case she has a hexagram, that would be Satan's most powerful symbol if she's into the black arts…"

"What she's going to hex me with art work? I'll be fine Angela." Booth said his voice laced with disbelief on the topic.

"Booth you should watch out for the flying monkeys, they are the worst." Sweets said and the couple could hear Angela hitting Sweets on the shoulder.

"But seriously, they are most likely some unstable teenage girls." Sweets added.

"So you're meeting us there?" Booth asked.

"Nope. Don't think so." Sweets said and Booth was gone from the line.

"I told you he wouldn't believe you." Sweets said looking at Angela.

"Well you weren't very helpful." Angela added closing images from the screen.

"Come on Angela, it's all whooey."

"Whooey, is that a fancy psychological word?" Angela teased. "Brennan would say that psychology is all wooey as you say."

"Well maybe I should form circles in my office and invite people into my safe spot." Sweets said sarcastically.

"All I'm saying is that people believe in what they want. Whether it's witchcraft, Buddhism or Christianity, it has weight when you believe in it. And maybe you would get more people in your office if you _did _have a sacred circle."

"I'd just trip over it." Sweets said under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, the stupid Wicca circle, I tripped over it."

"Uh oh, that's bad." Angela said and Sweets rolled his eyes at her.

"Now someone _just _told me that things only have weight _if _you believe in them. And guess what, I don't." Sweets said leaving Angela to shake her head.


	4. Chapter 4

Booth and Brennan approached the area and instantly heard shouting. They approached with caution. As they passed a tree Brennan saw a Udjat, an Eye of Horus on one of the trees. She wanted to make mention of it but Booth was moving ahead to the group of girls.

"The F.B.I. was at my house Sarah!"

"It's Belladonna!" She shouted back.

"This isn't funny anymore you guys!" A third girl added but they ignored her.

"What's funny about murder in the first place?" Booth asked standing at the edge of the circle. The group of girls looked up to him in surprise.

"I'm done with this." The one Booth recognized from the photo as Willow said. She turned to leave when the one it appeared was Belladonna pulled her back.

"You don't leave, no one leaves here!"

"Well we are all leaving here and heading back to the F.B.I. Building to answer some questions." Booth said. He had figured he could easily handle three girls but the one, Belladonna was as Sweets described her, unpredictable.

"No, this is a sacred circle, no one comes in here." Belladonna threatened.

Brennan motioned to step forward into the circle when Willow picked up one of the rocks from the circle and hit Belladonna in the head with it. Both Booth and Brennan rushed forward to separate the girls. The third girl cowered to the side.

Booth put hand cuffs on the two girls. The third put her hands up showing she was no threat and followed the adults back to their SUV.

Belladonna sat in the interrogation room while Sweets, Brennan and Booth looked in.

"What are you going to say to her?" Brennan asked Booth as he watched her.

"I might say that we have her incriminated. Her friends sold her out. A confession would just be a plus." He explained.

"She could say that her friends made it up." Brennan said.

Booth looked at Sweets who had been studying Belladonna.

"What are you thinking Sweets?" Booth had been trying since the incidents months ago to treat Sweets with more respect towards his profession. Some days had been better than others but overall he hoped he had been doing better. Sweets for his part seemed confident he was part of the group but at other times he gravitated away.

"She's cocky, too sure of herself. She wants to brag about what she did." Sweets said looking at her.

"Why would she incriminate herself?" Brennan asked as though Sweets had lost his mind.

"Why don't you talk to her?" Booth said before Sweets could answer Brennan's question. Sweets was surprised that he would be the lead on the interrogation.

Booth waited for him say something silly but instead Sweets nodded as though he had a plan and walked out.

"What, why are you giving Sweets the lead? You're always saying he's a kid." Brennan asked.

"I think he's been ready a lot longer than I've given him credit for." Booth said turning to watch Sweets as he entered the interrogation room.

"Hello Sarah." Sweets said sitting down.

"It's Belladonna!" She shouted.

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know." Sweets lied in an even and steady tone.

"What do you want anyway?"

"I want to help."

"Yeah right, what are you going to help me with?"

"I can listen."

"Yeah, what do you want me to say?"

"Tell me who it is that hurts you. It's not your parents since you are in the care of your sister."

"Ha, like she's ever around. And you can't ask me that, I'm a minor."

"You're 18, you lied to your friends about your age. I'm guessing you suffered from malnutrition at a young age, you appear smaller and younger looking, it also probably kept you back a grade."

"What do you know about it?"

"Too much." Sweets said for the first time looking away from her.

"You don't know nothing, you're like my age. Besides, I don't know what you're talking about." She said again and Sweets leaned forward. She didn't have to answer the question or she could have denied it. Sweets recognized that she wanted to talk.

"It starts small, it escalates. I'm guessing from the photos of you playing with fire you were burned."

The girls' eyes shot up towards Sweets.

"You want to cause the other girls the pain you were caused." Sweets continued.

The girl was at the edge of an obvious fit of rage and tears.

"Why Tabitha then?" Sweets asked.

"That bitch." Belladonna spat. "She had it all you know. Her parents, they were there, they didn't leave her, they were nice to her and what did she do? She wanted to get away from them!"

"You were jealous of what she failed to realize she had."

"It wasn't _just _that. She was good."

"Good at what?" Sweets asked genuinely not following.

"The craft, she was good." The admiration was obvious in Belladonna's tone. Sweets decided to play along.

"So she had a family and a talent that you didn't have. Why the cleansing spell."

"That was Willow's idea." Belladonna said with an emphatic eye roll. "She wanted to give her new life. What a load of crap."

"Something went wrong though, didn't it?"

Belladonna looked away. "We asked the lady at that herb store for what the spell book had listed. She said she could get it. Shit was expensive! But I don't know. We mixed it just like it said to but she passed out."

"Then what happened?"

"I don't know, it got kind of weird."

"The Hari that you had, it is a hallucinogen." Sweets said figuring out what happened next. "She reminded you of your abuser."

"She had to die." A darkness evaded Belladonna's eyes as she thought back to it.

"It wasn't just a hallucinogen that made you do with, it just made it easier to overpower Tabitha."

"Worked out in the end." Belladonna said shrugging her shoulders.

"So you admit you killed her?" Sweets sighed at the ease the confession was.

"What, it's not like everyone else didn't play a part."

"But you played the key role." Sweets said standing up.

"What'd they do to you?" Belladonna asked, her voice lighter when she said it.

"Let's say that fire was among one of the few things they didn't." Sweets said as he left the room.

Sweets was walking away feeling a bit tired now but Booth and Brennan quickly caught up with him.

"Sweets, that was, impressive." Brennan said and the surprise was obvious in her voice.

"No, she wanted to talk, anyone could do it." Sweets said brushing the compliment off.

"I don't think so." Booth said. "She talked because you connected with her."

Booth stopped because he knew Sweets wasn't going to want to talk about that aspect.

"Well we caught the bad guy, how about we go for a drink. I could use one." Brennan suggested knowing why Booth stopped where he did.

"Yeah, what do you say Sweets?" Booth asked in an encouraging tone.

"I don't know, I'm kind of tired."

"Come on, let's celebrate." Booth said again and his grin was something that Sweets couldn't help but agree to.

"Okay, let me get my coat. I'll meet you there."

Sweets arrived at his office in time to see Emma leaving.

"Done for the night?" He asked her.

"Yes, unless you need me to do something else?"

"No, no, it's been a long day."

"Yes. I saw the paper work come thru, I guess you caught the bad guy." She said standing up to push her chair in.

"Yes, bad girl though, well that sounds weird." Sweets said and Emma laughed at that comment.

"This sure is an interesting job." Emma said with an amused smile as she turned off her desk lamp. "Well, goodnight, Dr. Sweets."

"Emma, do you have plans, would you uh, like to join us for a drink? We are celebrating."

"I don't know if did much to contribute."

"I'd like it if you came."

Emma smiled and nodded. "Sure."


	5. Chapter 5

5.

To say that the others were surprised when Emma appeared at the door opened by Sweets would have been an understatement. Angela dropped her drink but Hodgins caught it with a swift move.

"Evening." Sweets said to their open mouth stares.

Emma shifted uncomfortably at the gazes and the group snapped out of it.

"Oh, sit here." Booth said jumping up to offer his seat. Before Emma could decline Angela was pulling her in the seat.

"I'm so glad you came!" Angela said to Emma while winking at Sweets. Sweets shook his head as Booth came over to him away from Emma's ability to hear them.

"So, you just bumped into her. She asked herself along didn't she?" Booth teased and Sweets offered one of his signature "really?" glares.

"I asked _her_."

"See, I knew I could get you to admit it!" Booth teased doing a silly dance.

"How much have you had to drink?" Sweets asked and Booth threw his arm around the young man bringing him closer to the group.

Time slipped by quickly because they were having great fun, embarrassing each other with stories to which Emma laughed at them all finding this to be a much tighter knit group than she had ever imagined.

Soon the two couples with kids remembered they would need to go home while Cam quickly agreed as well. Sweets followed them out and reminded Emma he would drive her home.

"I really do need to get a car." She said on the way home.

Sweets smiled as she still seemed a little flushed from the evening.

"Did you have a good time?" He asked seeing her still glow.

"It was a _really _fun time. Everyone seems so, I don't know, I felt like I wouldn't fit in since I don't have a PhD or a special agent status. Everyone seems so busy and smart when I talk to them, I hadn't expected them to be so…"

"Normal?" Sweets asked with a grin.

"Yes, exactly." She laughed again. "I didn't expect it. And that was perfect, I needed that."

"I'm glad you came." Sweets said glancing over from the driver's seat.

"I'm glad you asked." She asked with pink cheeks again as they arrived at her apartment.

"I'd ask if you want me to walk to your door but I remember what happened the last time I was here." Sweets said joking but it came out a bit odd based on the last time he was there.

"Yeah, that wasn't a great night." She said trying to smile.

"I'm so stupid to bring that up, I meant for it to be funny."

Emma laughed out loud and Sweets relaxed. "I'm sorry, now I'm being silly. I find it's just best to laugh about some things. Well thanks again."

"Would you like to have dinner tomorrow night, just the two of us?" Sweets asked and felt his heart race rapidly increasing. He hoped she didn't notice as he was trying to play it cool.

"Yes." She said simply getting out. "I'm guessing we're not telling people we work with?"

"No." Sweets said quickly and Emma nodded. "Good night Lance."

Sweets watched her walk away and sighed, _thank God she stopped calling me Dr. Sweets._

The next day Sweets was pulled out of the office for the day to work with another agent on the case. He left Emma a message early in the morning to let her know that he would be out but he would see her that night and suggested Bellucci's. He said if she wanted some place different to text him where.

He smiled after he had left the message at the thought of Angela's insistence that his breaking the "protective circle" at the last crime scene was bad luck. He had to admit, he'd had pretty good luck since then.

That night Emma sat in Bellucci's and waited an hour.


	6. Chapter 6

6.

"Hey Emma, Sweets in?" Booth asked but Emma shrugged her shoulders. He swore she mumbled something along the lines of 'he doesn't tell me when he's not going to show.'

Booth ran it over in his mind again and was pretty sure that is what she had said.

Emma shook it off and gained a professional composure.

"Sorry Agent Booth, would you like to leave a message for Dr. Sweets?"

"Um… well I've been trying to call him but he hasn't answered. Have you talked to him at all?" It was true but Booth was doing a little investigating of his own as well based on her last comment.

"I didn't see him yesterday, he left a message about being out on a case with another agent. I didn't see him last night when I left. But he must have come back by the office. He left some cases signed after I left here."

"What time did you leave here?"

"It was about five."

Booth casually sat on the edge of her desk. "Sounds like you were expecting to see Sweets last night, did he finally ask you out?"

The color of Emma's cheeks told him that was a yes.

"I don't think anyone at work was supposed to know." Emma said quietly not looking at Booth.

"Oh don't worry about that, I'm not going to say anything, Bones and I dated when we weren't supposed to."

Emma looked up feeling more relaxed.

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway. He didn't show."

"You had a date and Sweets didn't show?" Booth asked surprised and Emma confirmed it with a nod. "That's not like Sweets."

Booth stood up and took out his cell to make a call. While waiting for it to ring he asked Emma what time she was supposed to meet Sweets.

"Seven. I left at eight. I felt really, really, stupid." Emma said looking back at her screen.

"Look it's really not like…. Hey! Angela!" Booth said stopping mid-sentence to address Angela. "I need you to track Sweets phone. Yes _again_. No I do not need you to install a locator on Sweets. Wait, can you do that?" He began to wonder if that might be easier.

Booth waited.

"What do you mean 'uh oh'?" Booth said feeling a bit pale. "Can you call to get details?" There was a pause. "You're sure? Why didn't anyone call? What do you mean no family listed? I'm on my way, thanks."

Booth turned back to Emma whose interest was piqued.

"Sweets phone signal is coming from County General Hospital. He was in a car accident. I'm going to head that way, do you want to come?"

Emma truly wasn't sure if she should or not. She was trying to absorb the information as it was.

"Let's go." Booth said and she was glad he made up her mind for her.

* * *

Booth's phone rang as he and Emma walked in the hospital.

"Where are you?" Angela was asking Booth.

"I just walked into County General. Did you find out anything more?" Booth was looking around for someone to talk to but Emma beat him to it.

"Just that he was in an accident about 6:30 last night. They had no idea who to call." Angela said with obvious distress in her voice.

Emma was walking back towards Booth. "He's in room 204, they will page the doctor to talk to us."

"I heard." Angela said over the phone. "We'll be there in ten minutes, Bren and I that is."

"Okay, let's go." Booth said after having said goodbye to Angela.

"Shouldn't we wait for the doctor?" Emma asked.

"That's a good thing about being with the F.B.I., they don't kick you out of too many places." Booth said leading the way while Emma picked up the pace to keep up with him. He was obviously on a mission.

They arrived at room 204 to hear a low groaning noise. Booth picked up his pace and walked in the room.

Sweets was lying on the bed with an IV in and monitor on his chest. He looked a little pale but besides the cut on his head and his left arm bandaged he didn't look too bad, Booth reassured himself.

"Hey Sweets, how you doing?" He asked coming to the side of the bed. Sweets raised his right arm to rub his head that was obviously throbbing.

"Booth?" He asked clearly disoriented. Booth was pressing the nurse button repeatedly. He knew it didn't send a different signal but he felt better to push it in frequent intervals. Emma stood by the door, not sure what to do.

"Why didn't you call us Sweets?" Booth asked bordering between annoyed and concerned. He thought they were past Sweets being too independent and thinking they didn't care.

"Call for what?" Sweets asked. "Why doesn't my left arm want to move?" He asked groggy and peeked an eye open. "Where am I?"

Suddenly Booth had an answer to several questions, Sweets had been out all night.

"And what are you people doing in here?" The doctor asked coming in. Emma looked instantly nervous but Booth stood his ground.

"Agent Seeley Booth, F.B.I." Booth said showing his ID out of habit. "Dr. Sweets is a federal agent as well. Why were we not notified he was here?"

Booth's authoritative tone did the trick and the doctor immediately shifted gears to apologizing.

"I'm sorry, when he was brought in we checked his wallet for identification but…"

"What is his condition?" Booth ordered not wanting to hear excuses.

"Here it is!" Angela's voice said coming in the room with Brennan behind her.

"Oh my gosh Sweetie, are you okay?" Angela said coming up to Sweets left side. She touched his arm but Sweets pulled it back from pain.

Brennan looked back and noticed Emma hovering near the door, "Emma, I didn't see you there."

"Emma's here?" Sweets croaked trying to clear his throat.

Emma started to say something.

"Yeah why not?" Angela asked and Sweets began to groan again as he rubbed his head and pulled his bandaged arm towards him.

"Yes," Booth said putting a light hand on Sweets shoulder and motioned with his other hand to stop everyone from talking. "Yes Emma is here and we are too, now doc, what were you saying?"

Everyone was quiet and turned their attention to the doctor.

"Dr. Sweets was in a car accident about 6:30 last night. He was t-boned in the side of the car on the driver's side. It's amazing he's as okay as he is. He was brought here last night and only regained consciousness just now."

Angela and Brennan sighed as though they were letting Sweets off the hook for not calling. Emma felt a bit guilty for assuming the worst about why Sweets didn't show last night.

The doctor turned his attention back to Sweets. "Dr. Sweets, are you in pain?"

"No. I'm fine." He said trying to smile.

"You're obviously not Sweets." Brennan began obviously having been accessing him since she came in. "I would guess that you may have fractures to your arm as well as possible injuries to your ribs from the side impact of the car. Have you run a CT scan on his head, I don't want to see an brain injury develop…"

"I assure you that we have taken good care of Dr. Sweets. Now I am going to go and get some pain medication and I'll be right back." The doctor said eager to leave the room.

"Sweets, why don't you want any pain meds?" Booth asked.

"Yeah, that's just stupid." Angela said but then felt a little bad. "Sweetie." She added with a smile.

"They make me groggy, say stupid things, and they make me feel sick to my stomach." Sweets said trying to will the giant headache away.

"Well too bad, you're taking them." Booth said and immediately realized he sounded like a father to a teenager. Sweets also noticed and dropped his arm to look at Booth with a sideways "are you serious?" glance.

The doctor returned with a couple of large pills in a plastic cup and sat them on the table. Sweets pushed them away. Booth pushed them back towards Sweets.

"I can't make him take them." The doctor said picking them back up.

"Let's just give him a minute to decide." Booth said thru gritted teeth and the doctor was more than happy to leave the room.

Sweets and Booth engaged in a bit of a staring contest over who was going to win the battle of the wills. Normally Booth would have won with confidence but looking at Sweets, in the hospital, again, banged up made it hard.

"So!" Angela said tearing them both away from the stare down. "We forgot to ask the doctor when Sweets can leave." No one moved. "So Booth, Brennan, how about we go and ask him?" She said taking their arms to leave. Reluctantly they did so after Booth finally realized that Angela wanted to give Emma a moment alone with Sweets.

Emma stepped forward while Sweets looked uncomfortable sitting in the hospital gown.

"I uh, wasn't sure if I should come. I'm glad you are okay, for the most part, not dead and all. Wow, I should stop talking."

Sweets smiled. "I appreciate it, really." A realization came to mind. "Oh no, I just remembered."

Emma knew what he meant. "It's okay, you had a really good excuse."

"No, I, wow, I feel really bad. I can't believe I missed our first date." Sweets said rocking between dealing with a headache and regret. "I bet you had lots of better offers to take the empty seat."

Emma was surprised at Sweets lack of confidence in saying that. "Nope, no offers, besides, it was reserved for someone special." Emma hoped that raised his confidence some. "Really though, we need to stop meeting like this." She said motioning to the hospital.

"Yeah, it's so weird, I mean, what a random accident. And I actually had somewhere to be!"

"Just some bad luck." Emma suggested and noticed Sweets was trying to ignore the headache he was feeling. She sat closer on the edge of his bed.

"You know there might be some other medication that might not make you feel sick. And if you take some, you might feel better, and if you feel better you'll want to go and do stuff. Like dinner." Emma said looking at the pills in the cup.

Sweets grinned and took one out of the container. "A compromise." He offered and took one pill and swallowed it as Booth and Angela came back in.

"Okay Sweets, good news, you can leave later tonight, after 24 hours has passed." Booth announced and noticed the cup was minus one pill. Sweets was smiling and Booth was happy with the effect Emma was having on him.

"Where's Dr. Brennan?" Sweets asked.

"She's hounding that poor doctor and going over all of your x-rays." Angela said pushing Sweets forward slightly to adjust his pillow. "Sorry, it's a mom thing apparently." She said and he smiled in appreciation as it was now more comfortable.

"Hey, what about the other driver?" Sweets asked. "Was he or she okay?"

"Do you remember anything about the accident?" Booth asked and Sweets shook his head no after thinking about it for a second. "It was a hit and run, the other driver ran. The car was stolen, I've got an agent on it. Your car is toast by the way."

"I remember stopping by the office to sign out some cases and then left for dinner. It gets fuzzy from there." Sweets explained.

"Emma said you were working with some other agent yesterday?" Booth tried to make it sound impersonal. He wasn't offended, he didn't think.

"Yeah, it took a little longer than I thought. We went to interview some suspects, we were an hour outside of town, one lead to another and he went to one more while we were out there but I headed back to make it for dinner." Sweets said but his speech was slowing down.

"Wow, those are hitting you quick." Angela said observing the pain killers.

"They always do. Now you should all get going before I start to say stupid things." Sweets said trying to shoo them out the door.

"Yeah, you should get some rest." Angela said giving Sweets a kiss on the side of his head. "Sorry, felt like the motherly thing to do." Angela said looking at Emma.

Emma hadn't thought anything of it, she hadn't kissed him at all. She felt a bit awkward now and Angela led Booth out of the room.

"We'll be back tonight Sweets, rest up and we'll take you home." He said as Angela pushed him thru the threshold.

"I should go too, it looks like I have a couple of things to reschedule." She said with a smile.

"Well don't reschedule too many, I'll be back in the next day. I don't like staying it at home. It smells nice where you are."

Emma wasn't sure how to take that comment but she knew it was a compliment mixed with pain killers. She squeezed Lance's hand and by the time she had turned to leave he was already snoring. She decided if she was going to kiss him he was darn well going to be awake for it.


	7. Chapter 7

**ASC: Sorry, we're changing a few details. And by we I mean the three of us: me, myself and I. We just can't make up our minds! :)**

* * *

7.

"Okay Sweet's I know I'm late but, let's go." Booth said walking into his room with Hodgins. The bed was made and was minus one Dr. Sweets.

"Where is he?" Hodgins asked and Booth shrugged.

"Maybe he wanted to get out of the room, waited downstairs." Booth suggested as they left for the nurses station.

"Excuse me, can you tell me where Dr. Sweets might be?" Booth asked the nurse.

"Dr. Sweets, yes, he checked himself out and went home. He asked that I call him a cab."

"What?" Booth said his mood quickly dissipating.

"The doctor suggested he wait for his friends to come back but he insisted everyone would be very busy and he wanted to just go home and rest. He insisted he would be fine after some rest. He left about an hour ago." The nurse said and left to take a call from another patient. "Why do they press the call button so many times?!" She said as she walked away.

Hodgins & Booth looked at each other when Hodgins shrugged his shoulders. "Does he seriously think we're not just going to go by his place?"

"As long as he hasn't moved again without telling us." Booth said as they headed to the exit, calling their spouses on the way.

* * *

"Not answering huh?" Angela asked from the back seat beside Hodgins.

"Nope." Booth said hanging up the phone.

"Maybe he's sleeping." Brennan suggested from the passenger seat.

"This is really nice back here." Hodgins said looking around the back seat of Booth's SUV. Everyone turned to look at Hodgins. "Sorry, I just hadn't noticed it, yes, okay Sweets, so what's our plan?"

"Yes Jack let's try and focus okay?" Angela said irritated with her husband. "Why would Sweets just leave?"

"He may be just sleeping as I suggested. I checked with the doctor again after you had left. He seems quite irritated that I called his boss when he didn't call me back but I wanted to be sure that Sweets had a good bill of health when he was released." Brennan suggested again thought a bit of concern did nag at her.

"That's not the point Bones, Sweets just needs to stop doing everything on his own. He just doesn't seem to, trust us, as far as it goes. It's like he wants to be part of us but then he's always pulling himself away."

"Why is that?" Angela asked though perhaps more to herself.

"Everyone has something in their life that makes them do something Ange." Hodgins suggested.

"Yeah but I don't know that much about Sweets, like, before F.B.I. Sweets."

"Here we are." Booth said happy to change the subject he knew a little about.

"We need to remember to call Cam when we see Sweets. I believe she wanted to give him a piece of her mind about his early departure from the hospital." Brennan said as they made their way up to Sweets apartment.

Booth stopped in his tracks upon seeing it first.

"What?" Hodgins asked as he approached to see the door a jar.

"Maybe Sweets just forgot to close it, he was probably tired when he got back." Angela said trying to calm their concerns.

Booth pushed open the door to find a disheveled apartment.

"Sweets is a lot messier than I thought." Angela said stepping in behind Booth.

"That's a surprise since when I've observed Sweets' he's been very organ…." Brennan began but Booth began to call Sweets name. Brennan could tell Booth was on edge about something.

There was no answer to Booth's calling out for Sweets. Booth took out his phone and called Sweets cell which began to ring in the room. Angela found it on the floor near the door along with Sweets wallet and pain pills bottle.

"I'm not getting a good feeling about this." Hodgins said as he walked around seeing that the room wasn't really messy but that it was the sign of a struggle.

"Yes, this is Agent Seeley Booth. I need a team over to Dr. Lance Sweets apartment immediately." Booth said hanging up the phone. Brennan came near Booth in Sweets kitchen that provided her the reason why Booth had just called it in. On the counter and the floor were blood smears.

* * *

If Sweets thought his head throbbed before it was worse now as he literally thought his skull was going to pound outside of his head. He went to reach for his head as though to literally hold the pain in and found his arms didn't want to move. The pain shot thru his already injured left arm and made him want to scream out with the pain trying to move it caused. His arms tied behind his back and he was laying down.

"Hi Lance. Remember me?" The voice asked in the darkness not far away.

Sweets tried to remember, did he remember, what had just happened.

_Hours earlier….._

"Dr. Sweets, here is your cell phone. It's been ringing." The nurse said dropping it off as Sweets sat on the bed in a set of sweats pants, tee and sweatshirt. It was still hot outside but since walking into the woods that day Sweets found himself continually cold. The hospital found him the clothes in the lost and found and he was glad to have them so he didn't have to wait for anyone else to bring him something.

He flipped thru the stations, bored with the lack of things on TV while waiting for his friends to take him home. He was looking forward to going home, maybe stopping for a bite since he was hungry. Mostly he just wanted to get out of the hospital, he was tired of the sight of them. The pain killer was wearing off and that was fine with Sweets, he liked to think more clearly, especially if Emma was coming again to pick him up with the rest of them. The thought made him smile.

Bored he opened his phone that was a bar from being dead and saw several missed calls, many of them from an "unknown" number. While looking at the phone it rang again, and again unknown.

"This is…"

"Yes I know who this is." The voice on the phone said cryptically cutting Sweets off. "I'm glad you survived."

"Who is this?" Sweets asked not liking the sound of the caller's voice. It didn't sit well with him but he couldn't place it.

"Feeling better? That was a pretty nasty crash."

"Look, I don't know who this is but I'm hanging up…"

"Don't do that, you don't want that pretty girl to die, what's her name, Emma?"

Sweets sat frozen, this caller knew too much about him, especially the very recent present.

"What do you want?" Sweets asked and found himself more annoyed and angry than scared.

"You, I've always wanted you back. Now if you want to keep what happened to you from happening to that girl, or that Agent Booth and his wife, or what's her name, Angela…"

"Leave them alone." Sweets threatened.

"Ooohhhh, Lance has gotten some cahonnes. Very impressive. Now if you care so much for them you will leave there and get to your place. But don't lead them there. If you see them before I do, one of them is gone."

The line went dead and Sweets got up as fast as his sore body would allow him and found a doctor and insisted on discharge papers.

Sweets didn't want to see anything happen to anyone but he wasn't stupid either. He got in the cab. The drivers seemed busy but Sweets didn't know who was watching him so closely. If whoever this was had caused that not so random accident yesterday then was certainly capable of hurting anyone. Sweets wondered if the Pelant computer was reactivated but he didn't think that's who it was. The voice was more familiar.

Sweets looked at his phone. If he sent a message the caller might know. It wasn't worth the risk. He thought of how Booth was always tracking his phone thru Angela, maybe the caller was too. Sweets saw the cab's permit in the window. The driver was preoccupied with his radio so Sweets slid it undetected from the drivers view. He turned it over and wrote on the back. He folded the note up and took the back of his cell phone cover off. He put the note in the back of the phone and pushed the cover back on. He just hoped Angela might look there. He looked at the phone again and felt helpless to not be able to use it.

He arrived at his place and paid the driver giving him a generous tip and signing with a credit card so his time and movements could be tracked by Booth later.

He felt like a prisoner in his own body as he headed towards the apartment. He thought the caller might call again but more likely he was waiting inside. Sweets felt stupid heading to his own demise but he was held prisoner by the threat of harm coming to those he cared most about.

He opened the door when he was immediately met with a gun being pointed at him.

"Come on in. About time."

Sweets watched the gun more than the man holding it at first. Sweets walked in the door slowly since the accident, lack of recent meals and subsequent hike up the steps had left him tired.

"Don't you remember me?" The voice asked and Sweets looked up from the gun. At first he didn't recognize the man until he looked into those cold dark and malicious eyes.

"Yeah, I knew I had left an impression on you kid." While the realization sink in Sweets didn't react in time when the gun was swiped across his cheek and face sending him back into the door. Sweets dropped his phone, wallet and prescription he had been carrying since he had no pockets.

The large and burly man lunged forward but Sweets leapt to the side as the man crashed in the door. Sweets struggled to stand up but his arm was in pain. He ran around the touch searching for something to hit the man with. The man lunged again but Sweets evaded him again. More furniture crashed to the ground and Sweets made his way for the kitchen where he knew there were knives. He wasn't sure how long he could just keep dodging the burly monster.

He knew this was no longer some crazy past patient or suspect. This was someone who needed to die.

Sweets pulled open a kitchen drawer when he felt his head being pulled back and slammed into the edge of the counter top. The hit left him disoriented as the brute threw him back against the wall.

Sweets already swirling head was now beside itself with swirling pain. He touched his head with this good arm and felt liquid and knew it was blood. He put his hand back to the ground to steady himself from falling over since his left arm would do him no assistance. He was concerned as he saw the blood on the counter where his head made contact and then again by him on the floor left behind by his hand print.

"Didn't you know you should never run from me?" The man said crouching down to look at Sweets in the eye.

"Worked for twenty years." Sweets said back.

"So you do remember me."

"How could I forget?" Sweets asked and found himself breathing heavily from the stress and the chase.

"Apparently you did forget about me. But I didn't forget about you. You told them all about our times together sport. Sport was what it was, wasn't it?"

"And I wonder why I never wanted to play sports." Sweets said trying to keep conscious.

"You ruined my life kid. You had to open your mouth…"

"You ruined it yourself." Sweets spat back. "You don't do that to a child…."

"You shut up!" The man shouted back and Sweets could tell by the tremble in the man's hand that he was on some sort of substance, given a moment of clarity he could narrow it down but the room was on its own Tilt-A-Wheel ride at the moment.

"What do you want?" Sweets asked finally as he felt himself fading towards a blackness that was calling.

"I want you to suffer. Like I suffered." The man said it so calmly it was as though he were placing a food order with a waiter. Sweets wanted to analyze everything the man had said but he didn't have time as his eyes were dropping.

"And I think you want to suffer, or you wouldn't have come here." The man said as Sweets eyes closed shut.


	8. Chapter 8

**ASC: Sorry, a few extra changes. I had chapter 9 going but it wasn't qutie right so I'm reworking this and had a few minor details here...**

* * *

8.

"I don't care I need more agents on it." Booth shouted into the phone while other agents walked around Sweets apartment.

"There's so many people here now, too bad no one was here when Sweets could have used a crowd." Angela said and Booth instantly looked guilty.

"Hey, it's not your fault that we were late in picking up Sweets." Hodgins said trying to make Booth feel better but it didn't work.

"What time did Sweets leave the hospital?" Angela asked and Booth shrugged his shoulders.

"Look, I'm just trying to do what we do best." Angela said and the rest of the team nodded as they knew they needed to put their worst fears aside and concentrate on finding Sweets, hopefully alive.

"Right, we were supposed to get there about 7 and we got there at 8:30. The nurse said he had checked out an hour before." Booth said.

"So Sweets left the hospital and came here and was attacked." Brennan surmised. "However, that doesn't give us much to go on."

"If someone wanted to kill Sweets I imagine he would have been, here." Cam said having arrived a short while ago.

"So he must still be alive. Who would want to kidnap Sweets?" Angela asked.

"Being in our line of work there are a number of criminals we have incarcerated who would seek revenge." Brennan suggested.

"Okay, so we go back to the lab and we run thru all his old cases." Angela suggested.

"Ange that would take a very long time." Hodgins said.

"Well I can't just sit here anymore." Angela said exasperated.

"And I agree, but we need to narrow down the search." Hodgins said getting up and hugging his wife who was obviously upset.

"Right, right. What about that car accident? I mean it seemed like just an accident but with this now, maybe that was more."

Booth picked up his phone to make a call and get all the evidence and information from the accident the night before. He was assured the information would get to him immediately.

"Oh where's his phone?" Brennan asked. "Maybe we could track whatever it is that Angela does!"

Angela shot her a look that said 'thanks for having no idea what I do sweetie.'

"You know he was with an agent yesterday, Carson, I think his name was, maybe they got involved in something…" Booth said but one of the other agents on the scene stopped him.

"You haven't heard sir?" The agent began in a surprised tone. It was obvious from Booth's expression he had not. "He was killed last night. They found the body this morning."

Booth knew he had been too preoccupied with Sweets all day to have paid attention to much else.

"Here is Dr. Sweets phone sir." Another agent said handing the bag to Booth who handed it to Angela. She removed it from the evidence bag and saw it was nearly dead.

"There's a lot of calls from an unknown caller. I could try and take the card out and….crap, it's about to die." Angela said and Hodgins pulled his phone out of his pocket.

"Wait, I have an Samsung Galaxy too, here put my battery in it." He said opening the back to take it out. Angela flipped Sweets phone over to take the dead battery out. The paper Sweets had left fell out.

"What the…" Angela said picking it up and gaining everyone's interest as she unfolded it. She looked at the cab drivers permit but saw nothing on the back.

"That's weird." She said as she looked it over.

"Why does Sweets have a cab drivers permit shoved in the back of the phone?" Hodgins asked.

"Well Sweets put it there for a reason." Booth said taking it from her and holding it up to the light. "Ha!" He said seeing something. "Can anyone find a pencil?"

Everyone began to look around for one.

"Why may I ask?" Cam asked while searching.

"Those unknown numbers came in while Sweets was still at the hospital. He called a cab to take him home so this has to be that cab drivers permit. He wouldn't have a pen in the back of the car and didn't want to draw attention by asking for one if the driver may have been in on it." Booth suggested.

"Here's one!" Brennan said finding one in an end table drawer.

Booth took it and rubbed the back of the sheet. They all saw what Booth could see a hint of in the light. Sweets had used his nail to write on the paper creating an impression.

"What does it read?" Angela asked excitedly.

"From what I can tell, 'stalked, had to leave hospital, someone from past, don't know, caused accident, watching, keep each other safe."

"What the hell does that all mean?" Hodgins voiced what they were all thinking.

"I'm guessing if Sweets walked into a trap it was to keep us safe." Angela said followed by the realization by all of them of what that really meant.

"Sweets knowingly walked into a trap, to keep us safe?" Cam asked.

Booth shut his eyes thinking of something. "Does anyone know Emma's cell phone number?"

* * *

"You know I had a much different plan in mind." The man said sitting behind the wheel of a car. The passing headlights allowed for a second of light on the man's face. The car was moving fast, they were on a highway of some sort. Sweets was laying in the back seat with his hands tied behind his back. He was laying on his left, injured arm.

"It didn't take much to figure out how much you cared for them. I wanted to keep you on a leash, like I did bringing you to your apartment. Free but at a distance if you will. I was going to drive them all away, well you were, I was going to enjoy watching."

"And I guess you got bored with that." Sweets said trying to sit up by pushing his feet in order to get to a sitting position. He tried to hide the pain his arm was causing as he was being watched. "You always were impatient."

The man's smile slid across his face but it wasn't a pleasant smile. Sweets closed his eyes as he knew something was coming. The man threw on the breaks from a high speed lurching Sweets forward slamming against his sore arm into the seat. The man took off again at high speed throwing Sweets back in the seat.

"And you were always a stupid little boy pushing my buttons." He let that go for a moment and sighed. "I made you obedient but it seems that you have gotten away from that. I can fix it, again."

"Whatever Ryan." Sweets said trying to find an impossible comfortable location in the backseat.

"You remembered my name. But I prefer dad, even if it was for only a while. It was a memorable while wasn't it? Did I leave an impression on you?" He asked looking back at Sweets in the rearview mirror.

"A few." Sweets said thinking of the scars on his back. He was trying to keep his cool. He knew he was going to have to focus to survive this. It wasn't easy from the accident.

"We can always make new impressions you know, son."

Sweets knew Booth and the Jeffersonian team was probably looking for him by now. He hoped they were. He hoped they hadn't shown up at the hospital and merely said _oh well he wants to go home and rest, we'll catch him next week._ Sweets knew it wasn't likely but he still never felt one hundred percent part of the team.

"Thinking of your friends are you?" Ryan asked.

"Just thinking of how they're going to shoot you. I just hope I get to help." Sweets said looking back at Ryan.

"How did a scrawny and screwed up kid like you get friends like that. What sort of messed up people would care about you?"

"Apparently you." Sweets said with one of his signature "duh" looks.

Ryan shook his head as he gripped the steering wheel as his knuckles turned white.

"You need an attitude adjustment son." Ryan said as he pulled off the road.

* * *

"The car from the accident is on its way to the lab now." Booth said as they headed to his SUV.

"What about Emma, did she ever answer?" Angela said following to the car.

"No, I want to go by there first." Booth said.

"I want to get to the lab so I can inspect the car, I'll ride with Cam." Hodgins said getting in Cam's car.

Booth pulled up to Emma's apartment and suggested he go in first. Angela and Brennan followed closely behind. Booth knocked on the door and was almost surprised when Emma answered.

"Good evening Agent Booth." She said and she seemed much too rigid and wasn't like usual self. He was immediately alarmed.

"What's going on?" He asked not having time to do much besides but to the chase.

"What? Uh nothing Agent Booth." Emma said again not looking at him. Booth could tell it looked like she was crying or at least upset about something.

"Emma, Sweets is missing. I need you to tell me whatever it is that you know." Booth said directly.

"I uh…. I don't…" Emma stammered. Her eyes shifted back and forth like she was trying to decide something. Angela stepped forward surprising her.

"I don't know what's scaring you and I'm pretty sure you care about Sweets. So whatever is bothering you, forget about it. If you know something we need to know." Angela said in a forceful and yet calming way.

Emma looked at the faces of these three and turned to get her phone and after opening the message gave it to them.

"It came in as a message from Lance. It instructed me not to tell anyone. Hit play." The last two words were in a whisper.

Angela hit the button while Booth and Brennan looked over her shoulder. Two seconds in it their stomachs turned, five seconds in it they were distraught with rage.

"Lab. Now." Booth said with gritted teeth and no one questioned to follow him.


	9. Chapter 9

9.

"What's the matter Lance?" Ryan asked looking back at the shivering Sweets. "Cold?"

Sweets' head rolled from side to side against the back of the seat. His blurred vision was coming to as the man came into view. He had passed out from a shortness of breath and fit of exhaustion. He lost count after eight blows into his ribs after being dragged from the car. He continued to breathe shallow.

"Did that hurt?" Ryan asked with a smile. "I wouldn't have had to but you made me rather angry."

Ryan dug some dirt out of his nails and flicked it in the air. Dirt fell from them onto the seat. _Classy _Sweets thought in the back of this mind. He tried to focus on the car. He wasn't sure but he thought he saw the top of someone's head in the passenger seat.

He knew it was hot outside so he wondered why it was so cold in the car despite the fact he was still wearing sweats though his shoes and socks were missing.

"Look at you, all detective like, trying to figure out where you are. I'll tell you since there's no way they will find us." Ryan said flicking more grime from his nails. Sweets wondered why he had so much dirt under his nails.

Sweets wanted to smile, he obviously didn't know the Jeffersonian team.

"We're almost to Colorado, miles away from your friends. There is a bunker surrounded by cables, security systems and guard dogs."

Sweets smiled now.

"What do you think is so funny?" Ryan said becoming annoyed again.

"So you're not concerned that anyone will find me yet you tell me that we're going to be in a well guarded place?" Sweets let out as much of a laugh that he could. "That's pretty stupid, even for you."

Ryan's eyes narrowed.

"And you always were a terrible liar. Even as a toddler I could tell when you would lie. When you would say things would be different, better, that if I were only good then…"

"Shut up!" Ryan shouted, seething now.

"And my guess is we're still in the D.C. area. An hour, two at the most. I can see the damn clock. We sure as hell didn't drive as far as Colorado." If Sweets could have gotten his eyes all the way open he would have rolled them heavily at his captor.

"You really want to push my buttons kid?" Ryan asked looking in the rearview mirror again closer. His voice was thick and deep and stunk of cigarettes. "I don't think you recall what I am capable of."

"Oh I remember." Sweets said and couldn't help but swallow hard at the memories. "But I don't think you know what I'm capable of withstanding. It's been a long few years, and I've seen a lot. A lot of people die, a lot of corpses, a lot of shattered lives beyond my own. You're not the first crazy to kidnap me in the last few months. You're child's play."

Ryan took this into consideration but leaned in. "That might be, but Lance, I knew you. I think I still you know pretty well. It looks like I just might have to try a little harder next time."

* * *

"Do we know how long ago this was filmed?" Hodgins asked watching the images on screen Angela had placed there. She had Emma's phone hooked into her machine so the videos appeared on screen.

"No, but my guess would be shortly after he took Sweets from the apartment. It's bouncing off several signals and so it's pretty delayed in getting to us." Angela explained as she continued to click her tablet. "I don't think Sweets has any idea he's being filmed."

"It would be nice," Booth began with clenched teeth. "If he would stop antagonizing the psycho."

"At least he is still alive." Cam was finding a blessing to count.

"I'm trying to figure out where he might be, but 'a car' is about as close as I can get." Angela said tapping away. "We now know there is a second person, because someone else is filming as this guy talks to Sweets from the driver's seat. We never see the driver's face though." Angela was trying to disassociate herself so she could concentrate on work.

"Any idea on who this guy, Ryan is?" Booth asked preferring to not watch the screen for the fourth time. They couldn't help but watch the video over and over of Sweets trying to sit up in the back seat, being slammed into the seat after an abrupt stop and the conversation to ensue. It stopped with the man's promise to give an attitude adjustment. Angela minimized the last video where the mystery man, Ryan, was pulling off the side of the road.

"I've got so little to run off of." Angela explained frustrated. "He's in a car, non-descript. Whoever is uploading these has a pretty good knowledge of technology."

"He's sending us these, to torture us?" Emma asked from her seat off to the side. She wasn't so much looking for an answer but instead voicing a realization.

"Is there anything helpful that we know?" Cam asked trying to get the images out of her mind.

"He's referring to Sweets as being his father." Hodgins suggested.

"I'll run Sweets records." It felt awkward to do Angela thought to herself as she dug.

"What about the car?" Booth asked turning to Hodgins.

Hodgins cleared his throat, "Right, I was just explaining that as I came in. Once I got under the hood, the car was completely reinforced. It was stolen three weeks ago but was modified to be like a freakin' tank."

"So it was modified so it could crash into another car and minimize the amount of damage it did to the driver." Booth said.

"Yeah, and I dusted, no prints, but I'm guessing we have a suspect." Hodgins said looking to the screen.

"Ryan Masters." Angela said bringing up a rap sheet. "He's got a lot of priors, arrests. And Hodgins is right, Sweets was placed with he and his wife as a foster child when Sweets was about four. Bren, something wrong?" Angela asked what appeared to be an increasingly distraught Brennan.

She looked to Booth, "We knew that Sweets was in a foster home."

"And that his foster dad beat him for sport." Booth added looking away. "I don't think he wanted anyone to know."

"Oh." Angela said. "I'm guessing this sick bastard is enjoying this quite a bit."

"Wait, what do you mean, beat him for sport?" Cam asked.

Before Booth could answer Angela pulled up the record. "It looks like beatings, severe starvation and malnutrition, whip…" Angela asked incredulously though her voice trailed off.

"Sweets still has the marks." Brennan said not looking back at her. "I saw them once."

"And this sicko has him again?" Hodgins asked.

"So how do we get him back?" Booth asked but before anyone could offer anything a new video came in. They watched helplessly as Sweets was dragged from the car and the m


	10. Chapter 10

10.

Sweets was almost about to drift off when the loud door creaked open. His eyes shot open and his head pounded.

"Don't go falling asleep on me now." Ryan said pulling him out again. They were at a remote and quiet rest stop.

"What do you want?" Sweets asked as he was pushed from the car towards the small and dimly lit restroom.

"I keep my promises Lance. I promised to try harder this time. And we need a little break from this mundane driving don't we?"

Sweets looked around and knew this was bad, there was no one for miles, no cars went by. He considered the fact maybe he shouldn't have antagonized the psycho so much.

"You see Lance, when you left, and you told them about our times together, well I went away for a while." He pushed Sweets to the ground of the cement rest stop floor. Sweets sucked in air as his bound behind his back hands couldn't cushion his fall to the ground.

"And the funny thing about prison is that you just keep picking up more and more bad habits. So many that things start to change inside of you."

Ryan walked back to the door and motioned for someone to come inside. A young man came in, about 13 and Sweets was surprised. He had a phone in his hands with another gadget stuck to it. The young man didn't look at Sweets except thru the camera.

While studying the young man Sweets attention was pulled away from Ryan who was now over him pushing Sweets to lay on the ground. Sweets was wedged between the wall and the floor, unable to get away as he rolled back Sweets shirt exposing his chest. "Wow, those aren't mine." Ryan said admiring the fading scars from Sweets time with Derringer. "You are just a glutton for punishment aren't you?"

"So anyway, I just got really angry for a while. And then I'd go back and out and back again. Well I decided to break that cycle. And I thought, what is it that made me that way? That was you Lance, you put me away." He laughed as he pulled out a lighter and a metal file. He ran the lighter along the edge of the metal to heat it. "You put away your first criminal even as a little spec on this earth."

Sweets looked away from Ryan and to the young kid whose face was devoid of emotion. His attention was brought back to Ryan as he pushed the searing metal against his already broken side. Sweets had no choice but to scream out in pain, the sound echoing within in the cinderblock walls but falling on deaf ears.

* * *

"Oh God, not another one." Angela said as the video came in. "We've seen Sweets talk, followed by Sweets get beat outside the car, then more talking with a promise to make it worse this time."

"I have an awful feeling this is that worse time Masters referred to." Cam said wrapping her arms around herself.

Angela's hand shook as she pressed the play button.

"You put away your first criminal even as a little spec on this earth." Ryan's voice came on with the image of Sweets on the ground with Masters over him with the red hot poker. Sweets was obviously unable to hold in the screams of pain and Booth thought he might throw up. Emma ran from the room and the rest of them wanted to follow but their eyes were glued to what happened next, fearing and anticipating the next moment. This was true torture to everyone.

After three gruelling moments of burns and screams Ryan stood up and nodded to the camera which shut off. The group let out a breath they had held, Sweets was alive when it was over.

"I don't think I can take many more of these." Angela said with heavy misery. They all looked away from the screen.

"None of us can." Hodgins said wrapping his arms around her.

"We are getting too focused on these videos." Booth said rubbing his head.

"Well how can we not?!" Angela shouted back and Booth immediately held out his hands to calm her. "What I mean is if we concentrate on them too much we're not finding Sweets."

Angela nodded as she knew what he meant.

"Maybe we aren't looking enough." A voice from the door said and they saw it was Emma, she had come back. She pointed to the screen. "Look, in the reflection."

Angela backed up the paused image a few seconds and saw what Emma had seen. As the camera was lowered it caught an image of the young boy holding the camera.

"So he does have someone with him, who is he?" Hodgins asked excitedly but paused. "Wait, he looks like a kid."

"Angela, see if Ryan Masters fostered any other kids." Brennan suggested.

"No, after Sweets left he was sent to jail, he was never allowed kids again." Angela said checking the records a second time.

"But that wouldn't stop him from having a kid." Hodgins suggested and Angela dug again.

"Victor Masters, age 13." She said with a sigh. "I wonder what this guy did to that kid, based on what he did to Sweets.

"No, this kid looks like he's helping Masters." Hodgins observed. "It's only a partial image but after what he just filmed, look, there's no look of disgust or sadness on his face after what he just saw, he's totally okay with it."

"He had a monster for a father. He assumes this is what life is supposed to be like?" Angela asked.

"Can we track down anything about this kid?" Cam asked and Angela tapped away again.

"No school records, he must be home schooled. I'm not finding much." She answered.

"What about the mother?" Booth asked.

"Now here's something…." Angela began.


	11. Chapter 11

11.

Sweets eyes popped open as the car door slammed shut. He was leaning against the interior car door and was glad he was upright. Not only could he see but it made it easier to breathe.

His eyes began to droop shut but his attention was caught by Ryan heading into the convenience store nearby. They were parked in the dark away from the entrance but Sweets wondered if he could get the door open, maybe he could stumble closer to the people he could see getting gas. He began to turn in his seat to see if he could get his hands near the door, it was painful as he tried to move.

"Forget it. Child locks." A voice said and Sweets looked up to the front seat where it had come from. He could barely see the top of a kid's head who sat slumped down in the seat.

"Who….who are you?" Sweets said but his voice was dry and cracking. He realized he hadn't had anything to eat or drink since lunch at the hospital earlier in the day. Even then he wasn't quite hungry after the pain pill that morning. He had hoped to get an evening when they left there. Sweets considered how much he would welcome a pain killer now.

"None of your beeswax." The kid said from the front seat bringing his thoughts back to the present. Sweets tried to concentrate as he realized his mind was wondering beyond his control.

"None of your beeswax?" Sweets repeated back. "What is it, 1958? Is that what your friends say?"

The kid in the front looked away from Sweets and Sweets caught on that he either had no friends or didn't go to school to be with any.

"How do you know Ryan?" Sweets asked trying to adjust in his seat, his arms were exhausted being bound behind him.

"How do you think?" The kid asked staring him down. Sweets mulled it over.

"He's your father." Sweets said recognizing the same dark and hateful eyes as Ryan's. "Why do you stay with him, does he hurt you?" Sweets asked fearing for the boy. "I could help you know."

"You don't help. Ryan told me what you did. You're the reason why things are so bad for us." The kid shot back. Sweets saw the way the kid looked at him, it was a deep rooted look of hate and anger. The kid was programmed to hate him, he wasn't going to get the kid to side with him, not easily anyway. Sweets knew he had a way with getting people to like him. Unfortunately, Sweets realized it generally took years, or at least it had with the Jeffersonian staff.

"I don't know what he told you but…"

"Hey!" A voice shouted as the car door opened. "Don't you talk to him!" Ryan shouted and Sweets wasn't sure who he was talking to. The kid sunk back down in his seat.

"Here you go Victor." Ryan said and handed the kid a hot dog and chips. The convenience store offering would have smelled awful but Sweets was starving. He watched and smelled the food as they both ate as the car trip continued.

Sweets put his head against the window as the rode, trying to stay alert for passing cars he could alert. But the roads Ryan took were sparsely travelled upon. When they did reach any sort of intersection he would speed off so no one could come close to the car. Sweets hopes diminished as he tried to think of a way to alert the Jeffersonian team.

He thought of the video the kid had been holding at the rest stop. The thought of the video made the new burns on his chest flare. Sweets tried to compartmentalize the pain as he thought back to the video. He wondered why he was recording it and the thought hit him, he was sending that to the team. Sweets was flooded with the feeling of misery that his friends were having to watch it. And at the same time it gave him a feeling he was not quite so alone. He wondered how he might be able to alert them next time.

* * *

"What do you mean, here's something?" Booth asked coming closer to Angela. "The kid has no records, no immunization shots, no school records, nothing. It looks like the only reason he has even a record of being born is to collect on welfare. Talk about living off the grid. Geez this is just sad."

"Sad? That kid just stood there while his dad was torturing Sweets." Hodgins reminded her.

"The kid might be too scared to do anything." Booth said defensively.

"I don't know Seeley. The look in that kid's eyes, he was completely disconnected." Cam said concerned.

"Maybe there's still time. I mean, Sweets came away from that guy okay. He's always saying everyone can be saved." Angela offered.

"So any location on these two, the mother?" Booth asked refocusing.

"Ugh, not much, like I said off the grid." Angela reiterated.

"Well they are in the car, they are heading some place." Cam deduced.

"I'm going to look the car over again." Hodgins said leaving the room.

"I'll help." Brennan said beginning to follow causing him to pause.

"It's a car…" Hodgins said confused.

"Cars are much like the skeletal system, I can…." Brennan paused and lowered her voice. "I need to do something, I can't just stand here."

Hodgins nodded and they left the room.

"What about the stolen car?" Emma asked jumping up as she thought of it. "Maybe it might be near where they are going?"

"Could be, if he's comfortable with a certain area. He'd need a pretty sizeable garage to do that kind of work on it. He has mechanical knowledge. He has to be in the area, no more than three hours away. Angela can you pull up some garages?"

"Sure." She said and hundreds of dots appeared on the map.

"Now we need to narrow it down." Booth said feeling defeated at the large number of dots.

* * *

"We need gas." Ryan announced.

Sweets had seen a sign along the road announcing that Bealeton, Virginia was twenty miles ahead. Sweets tried to remember thru his mushy mind why that sounded so familiar.

"You're sitting in the back with him." Ryan said handing Victor a hand gun. "I can't be sure there won't be people there."

Ryan approached the nearing gas station with caution, checking for other vehicles. He approached the small roadside station after the car pulled away.

Sweets tried to casually look around for any moment to move. He had been balling up his hands for the last hour, making them hot enough to get sweaty to wiggle out of the tie. So far it hadn't worked but even the chaffed wrists weren't enough to make him stop trying.

As Ryan pulled up to the gas pump he got out as Victor climbed in the back seat. With the car off the air conditioning had stopped making the car warm. Victor opened the car door some to allow for air movement. Sweets tried to hide his excitement that this was a good opportunity.

Sweets continued to fidget with the ties.

"What are you doing! Stop!" Victor said, the gun in his hand.

"It hurts." Sweets said referring to the ties.

"Good." Victor said looking back at his father. Sweets glanced at the gun still in Victor's lap. Since the kid seemed to have no empathy for him he decided on another approach.

"Want anything?" Ryan asked Victor.

"A candy bar and a soda!" He replied and the father had no problems with the request. Sweets noticed the relationship they had was very different from the one he and Ryan had had growing up, and that Victor was still just a kid.

"It's really no contest you know." Sweets began, gaining Victor's attention. "If you're so in control with the gun, then why leave me tied up. You know I'm a psychologist. It shows that you are weak."

Sweets words were having the desired effect as the kid was getting angry at essentially being called a chicken. He looked inside to see Ryan heading for the restroom.

"Do you need to ask Victor if it's okay to take the ties off? I guess I thought he left you in charge." Sweets was banking on the kid's adolescent impulses to prove himself along with the lack of good decision making skills. "It's fine, we can wait to ask your daddy for permission." Sweets tried to make it sound as demeaning as possible.

"I don't need permission, I'm in charge!" Victor shouted.

"Oh, sorry, I wasn't getting that." Sweets lied.

The kid huffed. "Turn around!" He shouted and pulled out a large pocket knife. Sweets tried to regain his control while the kid set the gun on the seat and used the knife to cut thru the ties.

Being able to relax his arms was more relief than Sweets could have dreamed of but he knew he had to act quickly. Though his arm felt near numb Sweets swung it around as he turned knowing the kid wasn't expecting it and hitting in him the face. The kid closed his eyes on response as the hand came to his face.

Before he could react Sweets lunged forward, pulling the kid with him out of the door of the car. He looked up to see Ryan coming out of the store and abandoned the idea of running into the store. Instead he ran into the darkness past the isolated store.

Sweets ignored the pain that shot thru his side as he ran and was pleased the adrenaline was outweighing the attention addressed to it. He could hear distant shouting as he left and headed into the darkness the near midnight hour was bringing.

He felt a coolness come over him again and was reminded of the forested area when looking for the girl. He slowed as he could hardly see the trees he was about to run into. The question of luck ran thru his mind again.

His bare feet began to ache at the rough ground he was running on. He stopped and knew he shouldn't have as the adrenaline began to run low as his chest seethed in pain. He pushed on and was unsure if he was going to pass out from the shortness of breath. His feet began to feel wet as he pushed on in the warm night. He wondered in the back of his mind why only his feet would be sweating and why they would feel prickly. He neared a clearing as his heart instantly sank. He hadn't gone as far as he hoped as an all too familiar car had caught up to him. He turned to run for the tree again but slipped on his wet and stinging feet. His chest ached as he tried to stand and run. The pain was intense but he knew that pain was nothing compared to what would happen if they caught him. He tried to tell his body that very real fact but it would not listen as it failed to put one foot before the other fast enough. Sweets heart was beating so hard he could barely hear anything, the pain made it hard to concentrate.

A sudden kick in the chest flipped Sweets onto his back and looking up at a moonless sky.

* * *

"Is this night vision setting?" Cam asked watching the new video that had come in.

"Yeah. Should I get the others?" Angela asked as it was now just the three of them in the room.

"No." Booth said. "Let's start with just us, for now." He was not relaxed to see the paused image.

"Okay, here goes." Angela said hitting the play button.

The video started at an awkward spot Booth noticed, it was as though this time they were catching up to something. The selection began as the recorder were getting out of the car. Sweets was on the ground having just been kicked in the side by Ryan.

"You think you can run from me!" He shouted to Sweets on the ground who curled on his side away from his heavily injured side.

Sweets murmured something which caused Ryan to violently kick him in the stomach. Sweets grunted in pain.

"Dammit Sweets just shut up." Booth said under his breath. He wasn't sure if he admired the kid for being so feisty or hated him for it.

Ryan kicked him twice more in the stomach before pulling him up by his hair into a sitting position. He motioned for the kid to come close. The camera was a close up to Sweets face.

"You want to tell your friends goodbye?" He asked while the three's stomachs clenched, fearing the end, watching on the screen.

"No, not really." Sweets said almost nonchalantly.

They could hear Ryan groan and Sweets dark chocolate eyes looked up at Ryan and then to Victor. It caught Booth's attention and Sweets must have noticed they weren't watching as he mouthed something to the camera.

"That! What's that!?" Booth shouted excitedly.

"Let's see how this plays out Seeley." Cam said in what was barely over a whisper. She was still afraid this was the end for Sweets.

It wasn't the end but it wasn't pretty as Ryan spent one minute and thirty four seconds kicking and hitting Sweets. For the three watching the screen it felt like an hour and thirty four minutes.


	12. Chapter 12

12.

Brennan slowed her pace as she walked into the room seeing the image of a very beaten Sweets be pushed in the trunk of the car.

"Is he still alive?" She asked, tears brimming near the edge of her eyes.

"I think so." Cam said, her hand still covering her mouth as though holding in the scream she wouldn't let go. She felt rattled with anger and heartache but tried to keep her composure. "He appeared to be breathing when he put him, in the trunk." He voice trailed to a near whisper on the last three words.

"What's with his feet?" Hodgins asked trying to discern from the green images.

"He appears to be barefoot, and he was running, I'd guess." Cam said.

"They're completely bloody…" Hodgins began but Booth interrupted him.

"Angela, go back to what Sweets said, to the camera." Booth instructed and Angela began to tap on the keys. "I'm done with this, I want this bastard now and that little punk is going to…. I don't know what, but this ends now." Booth's voice was filled with resolve.

"Okay here we are." Angela said approaching that selected area of the footage.

They watched it replay in four second intervals over and over and became frustrated. Booth noticed that Brennan was mimicking Sweets lips.

"You got something Bones?" Booth felt a desperation in his voice.

"Bealeton, Virginia." She said and smiled, she was proud of herself.

"Angela!" Booth said.

"I'm on it." Angela pulled up a map. "There's a good amount of secluded roads from D.C. to there. Definitely a couple of hours from here. Is that where they are heading or where they are?"

"Where's that map of garages?" Booth asked and Angela brought up garages in the area of the named city.

"There's actually only one." Angela said. "The town is only about four thousand people."

"How does Sweets know they are going there?" Cam asked confused while Booth was already dialing numbers.

"Wait, Bealeton?" Emma asked confused.

They all turned to look at her and she cleared her throat.

"That is the area where Dr. Sweets and Agent Carson went yesterday." She explained.

"The Agent Carson that was killed yesterday?" Angela asked recalling the news from Sweets apartment. Emma was surprised, she didn't know he was dead.

"How did we miss that?" Booth asked, flooded with a guilty feeling it was so obvious to miss though he knew the steam of concerning videos has distracted them some.

"We need to know what Carson and Sweets were doing up there." Booth instructed as he headed to the door. "Let's go Bones." He said as she followed him.

"Where are we going?" She asked.

"I've got a chopper being called in and a car when we get there. We should be in that area soon. Call me with locations, _anything _you find. I wanna be on the ground when you find something. Time is more than important here people." Booth said to them as he and Brennan headed for the exit.

* * *

Sweets was very minorly aware of being drug from the back of the truck up a few short stairs and across a floor. He was mostly aware of being tossed down some wooden stairs. He heard a door shut and lock.

The cement felt welcome against his cheek but it was the only feeling he could welcome. He could feel his feet drip with blood among the ingrained rocks and debris imbedded in them. His shirt and pants were littered with dirt stains from being kicked. The clothes covered the surface of his skin which was marred with bruises and burns. He now longed for the pain killers he turned down earlier. He longed to feel nothing at all.

That was until he noticed a repulsive smell. He slowly opened his eyes to see slits of the early morning light come thru the small basement windows above him. His eye caught something shinny but he forgot about it when he saw something worse. He stared into the dead eyes of a dead woman on the floor.

* * *

"Agent Booth, we are going to be on the ground in about fifteen minutes. The sun will be coming up about then. Do you have any idea where you want us to search?" The pilot shouted over the headsets in the noisy chopper.

"Angela, do you have anything for me?" Booth shouted into his phone. Brennan continued to look out the window, for what she didn't know, but she was filled with a desperate feeling to find Sweets, very soon.

"The garage in question is near the town." Angela explained. "Assuming he doesn't want to be near that location and based on his activities I would think he would be someplace else."

"Did you find out what Carson and Sweets went up there for?" Booth asked.

"Emma went to the F.B.I. office for the files. I think she was going to break into Carson's office to get them." Angela said a bit concerned.

Booth smiled a small grin as he was proud of her tenacity. She was going to get into huge trouble and she knew it but she did it anyway. He knew she needed the job, and he was going to make sure she kept it, not matter what.

"She's calling, hang on Booth, I'll put her on speaker." Angela announced.

"Hey." Emma said whispering. "I've got Carson's notes." Emma said hiding from under Caron's desk. "It looks like was investigating some online crimes. There was a ton of equipment stolen. Looks like Carson suspected someone of downloading some credit card numbers, I'm trying to decipher his hand writing."

"Could it have been that kid and Masters?" Angela asked.

"We'll figure that out later." Booth said. "Emma, do you have an address of where they went?"

"Hang on, he's got dozens of addresses here." She said scanning a list.

"He would have put the addresses into his phone." Angela said and immediately stopped. "His phone!" She shouted.

"What?" Booth asked.

"I'm tracking his phone." She repeated. Booth wondered if he should have had that locator device put on Sweets after all.

"What if Masters ditched it?" Emma asked.

"That's true, I'll track it anyway, but I'm sure Carson put the addresses in his phone so he could use some GPS or something to find them. Wait, didn't Sweets say he didn't go to the last stop with Caron?"

"Yeah, he said he left to have dinner with Emma." Booth said remembering. "Shit, that was a trap wasn't it? Masters was luring Sweets to his place but he didn't know. We need that address!"

"Emma what addresses do you have?" Angela asked and Emma was rattling them off when a voice stopped her.

"What are you doing down there?" An authoritative tone began.

Emma ignored him and continued to read them off. They could hear the man pulling her out from under the desk as Emma continued to read as her phone lay on the floor. Booth wanted to say something but he knew they had to find Sweets. If he interrupted her it might be another hour before they got it straightened out what Emma was doing there and then it may be too short of time for Sweets.

"That's the last one!" Emma shouted over the line from far away, presumably being pulled from the office. "Find him, please!"

"Booth you're going to…" Angela began.

"Yes, I'll take care of it. Maybe Cam can get Caroline on that?"

"Got it." Cam said leaving the room to make a call.

"What about the addresses?" Booth asked as his heart rate continued to increase.

"I'm eliminating seven of them. I've got three." Angela said. "Wait, 6078 Rural Road 36."

"You're sure?" Booth asked knowing they probably didn't have time to go to the wrong place first.

"I'm sure, Agent Carson's phone is emanating a signal from there."

* * *

Sweets was hoping to pass out but such a sweet surrender would not take place. Not only did everything hurt but he hadn't eaten or had anything to drink in so long. More sunlight began to peak in the small windows high above. Sweets knew he wasn't going to be able to mount an escape out of them. He was pretty sure he wouldn't even be able to get to a sitting position.

Still the shinny object caught his attention so he grabbed the leg of the steps and with the little strength he had left he pulled himself forward. He reached under the steps and saw the shinny object. He flipped it over and saw it was Agent Carson's badge. Sweets knew Carson must have been dead.

It was falling into place all of sudden, why the sudden stretch of dry leads had brought them to this town. He and Carson interviewed a handful of people the day before. This was the stop he didn't make with Carson. Sweets was filled with feelings of guilt that he had gotten the agent killed though he knew it wasn't rational, he wouldn't have been able to do anything, it would have just happened faster.

A red blinking caught Sweets attention and he pulled himself forward once more, pain shooting thru his broken body. He knew this was the last bit of energy he had and hoped it was worth it. Breathing heavily he pulled the item from the darkness and saw it was a cell phone. His eyes lit with delight as he flipped it open. It was demanding that it had a low battery but Sweets pulled the phone close to his face so he could concentrate on the numbers. He dialed Booth's number.

"This is Agent Booth, who is this?" Booth asked irritated as though he were being interrupted.

"Booth?" Sweets said with a croak.

"Sweets?!" Booth's tone instantly altered as he gripped the phone. It was as though he were hanging onto Sweets himself. "Where are you?"

"A basement. I think…." Sweets had to pause to catch his breath. "I think it's the house Carson came…." He had to pause again which made him angry that he couldn't keep talking.

"I know Sweets, we have your location, I need you to hang on…." Booth said but Sweets looked and the phone was dead. The door above opened. Sweets had a feeling that time had run out.


	13. Chapter 13

13.

"I see you've met your roommate." Ryan said coming down the steps.

Sweets looked over to the dead woman on the floor. She had a vague familiarity and he wasn't sure if he wanted to know if he was right or not.

"Don't remember your old mom?" Ryan asked as Victor joined him on his descent down the steps.

Sweets had a feeling he was right about that one. He hadn't felt much of a connection with Ryan Master's wife when he was there, she was little more than an enabler of his antics. Instead Sweets reached up to pull himself into a mostly sitting position as he leaned back against the wall. It was a painful position as it pushed on his ribs that now felt near mutilated but his feeling of dread and adrenaline made his focus stay more on Ryan and Victor.

"Was that your mother?" Sweets said in cracked words coming from a dry mouth to Victor.

"Yeah I guess." He said shrugging his shoulders. Sweets found his response surprising.

"You didn't care for her?" Sweets asked and Ryan laughed.

"Who do you think killed her?" Ryan asked and Victor smiled. Sweets realized in that moment there was no real hope for Victor. Sweets now realized the only thing he could do was buy time until Booth arrived.

"She was real useless." Ryan said approaching the body and rolling it away so he didn't have to look at it. "She was on board until I killed that agent. She didn't think it would go that far, wanted it to stop." He laughed again. "Doesn't matter, we got what we wanted in the end." Ryan said staring Sweets down.

"Why me?" Sweets asked, buying time but curious.

"I told you, you had to pay for what you did to me, to us. I've been looking for you for years. Then I heard that agent was poking around, I knew he would come our way with you. But then you stood us up."

"I'm real sorry about that." Sweets said sarcastically, his breaths getting slower.

"Hey, it's all good, we got to use the car. That was our getaway car! Hated to see that thing go." Ryan said looking at Victor who nodded as well. Obviously it had been quite the father-son project. "Of course we hadn't expected you to live, but it really turned out better, this was much more fun. More cat & mouse."

Sweets let a smile creep across his lips.

"You got another catchy come back boy?" Ryan asked raising his voice.

Sweets let the smile fade. He was pretty sure he wasn't going to survive one more beating. "No sir, nothing."

Ryan still narrowed his eyes but he was interrupted by the sound of a helicopter go overhead.

"It's right below us sir but there's nowhere to land, too many trees. We'll have to try some place else." The pilot explained to Booth.

Booth looked out the window and considered the jump from the chopper to the rooftop but Brennan grabbed his arm. He didn't like it but he waited.

* * *

"What the hell is that?" Ryan asked obviously surprised. He looked back at Sweets who had a big smile on his face again.

Ryan walked up to Sweets and punched him in the face. Sweets turned his head back and still had the smile on his face. Ryan clenched his teeth and pulled Sweets up by his shirt and hooking an arm under his dragged Sweets up the steps and out the door.

"Car Victor!" He shouted to Victor who ran to a barn on the property.

Sweets squeezed his eyes shut as soon as they came outside and the intense morning light was too much. He could feel he was being drug across some uneven grass and every bump sent an intense pain shooting thru his body. He was being drug by his arm over his head. He inched one eye open to see his legs and feet being drug in tow. He knew he didn't have the strength to run but the glance at his feet, caked with dried blood, rocks and debris, he knew it was impossible to even stand.

He wanted to pull his hand away from Ryan but it was an impossible task. He had no strength and could feel he was fading fast. If it weren't for the curiousity keeping him awake, he would have passed out already.

The roaring sound of a car approaching brought made Sweets eyes shoot back to an open position and soon he was flung in the back seat of the car. The car took off and Sweets wondered if Booth was still in pursuit.

* * *

The chopper landed on the ground and the sounds of sirens were on approach. Booth watched as a car drove down the rural lane past them leaving a cloud of dust from the road behind it.

"Get me a car, now!" Booth shouted and the pilot was on the radio. In less than a minute one of the police cars that was on approach to the house was where Booth and Brennan were by the chopper. Booth took the driver's seat and Brennan in the passenger. Booth followed the dwindling dust trail in the road in pursuit.

* * *

"They're on us dad, what are we going to do?" Victor said and for the first time Sweets heard a tiny hint of panic is his voice.

"Dad?!" He asked again, most poingnant this time.

"I'm thinking!" He shouted back finally.

Sweets eyes were closed as he lay in the seat. He knew his life was in the balance of a decision that Ryan made. Sweets could hear tapping on what he guessed was a tablet.

"They're on the ground, they're probably be close." Victor reported.

"It seems they're after one thing. I think I've got an idea on how to kill two birds with one stone." Ryan said as he instructed Victor to open the car door while he kept driving.

Sweets felt the welcomed cool breeze as the car door opened and before he understood what was about to happen. Victor struggled some as Sweets realized he was being moved and soon pushed out the car door going a relatively high speed. Ryan seemed to be positioning the car in just the right place in the middle of the road as Victor released Sweets.

It may be been that because he was so exhausted that his body was in a relaxed state which allowed it to bounced a few times before it came to a stop. Sweets would have seethed at the pain but he was so far towards gone that he wondered if he really cared at this point.

The dust from the road swirled around him and he closed his eyes. He wondered if he could see a car, or thus, if a car could see him, and then it became obvious to Sweets what Ryan's plan was, as he lay in the middle of the road, with Booth in pursuit.

Sweets knew the seconds were ticking by, Booth would be over the hill in no time. He thought of how nice it might be to be hit by a car, again, but this time be put out of the misery his body was in. Still though, he thought of Booth, the guilt he would carry that he was the one behind the wheel though it had been Ryan's plan.

Sweets pushed his body to the side allowing the momentum to rock his body over. The pain was undescribeable. Sweets dug his hands into the dirt road and though his body was in complete disagreement he began to pull himself inch by inch out of the road, but it was slow going.

* * *

"How far ahead do you think they are?" Brennan asked holding onto the door handle at the high rate of speed they were heading following the swirling dust cloud. Booth was pretty sure they were gaining on the speeding car.

"Why is he running, he knows we are going to catch him." Brennan said in her rational matter of fact thinking.

"They always run Bones, they'll always take the chance." Booth answered though he was still concentrating on the road ahead, the dust was getting thicker, they were surely gaining.

* * *

The dust was in Sweets eyes, he wasn't sure if what direction he was heading but he hoped it was the right way. To him it felt like a mile but in reality it was inches as he clawed his hands into the rock and dirt mix that road was made of. His chest drug the ground across his broken ribs. His head swirled in a mass of pain and he wondered how he was even moving, or if he was outside of his imagination. His bloodied and impacted feet soared with pain but he knew he had to move faster so he pushed them in the ground to propel himself forward. He felt that cool breeze he had not long ago, that day in the woods. He eyed a rock next to him that began to rattle, he wondered about Angela's threat of witchcraft but then he realized it was really just the rumbling of an approaching car.

* * *

"BOOTH!" Brennan shouted as she would have sworn she stopped breathing a moment.

Booth pulled the car to the left as fast as he could but he could not avoid running into the fence. The airbags deployed and after a second to orient themselves Booth and Brennan rushed out of the car.

The dust still swirled from all of the movement on the road and them going off it. Booth wondered if their eyes had played tricks on them had they really seen…

The dust settled and everything was quiet now as they saw what they knew to be Sweets laying motionless, just inches from the edge of the road.


	14. Chapter 14

14.

"No, no, no, no, no…" Booth repeated as he ran towards Sweets. Brennan was stuck for a moment, she couldn't get her legs to move. She knew she was needed but she didn't understand being unable to move.

Booth knelt down by Sweets, dust instantly caking on his dark suit. He looked up at Brennan with red rims around her eyes and her legs began to move.

"This is Agent Booth, I need immediate assistance…" His voice trailed off and Brennan looked up as she had never heard that happen to him before. She stopped as soon as she reached Sweets and Booth and realized she had no words either.

"Immediate assistance just down the road." Booth finished.

"And the suspects sir?" The voice over the radio asked.

"Just get medical assistance here immediately, we have a federal officer down." Booth's voice regained its control as his anger replaced his fear for a moment. He closed his phone. "Bones, is he…."

Brennan's hands shook as she put them on Sweets neck. She breathed for the first time since she saw him, a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. "He's got a heartbeat." She said softly. She crouched down to see if he was breathing. Booth began to turn him but she stopped him.

"Booth wait, Masters threw him from the car. I don't want to move him." Brennan answered trying to focus on being clinical in order to determine Sweets condition.

"He what? He threw him… so I'd hit him…" Booth surmised full of anger.

They heard a murmur from Sweets but they couldn't hear what he said. Brennan crouched down more.

"Sweets what is it, can you hear me, can you breathe?"

Brennan was sure she heard a "no" to the last question and despite what she felt was right she considered turning him over.

"Did Sweets crawl over here?" Booth asked and both their hearts sank at the thought of Sweets having to pull himself out of the road.

"Carefully- we turn him." Brennan said and Booth was instantly ready to do as instructed.

In seconds Sweets was looking up at them, his face bruised and bloody, caked with dirt. Both their hearts sank as they looked at their broken duckling.

Booth reached in his pocket for his handkerchief and tried to lightly wipe away some of the dirt out of Sweets eyes and away from his nose so he could breathe better.

"Keep his head elevated." Brennan instructed and Booth complied immediately.

"S….s….so….sorry." Sweets said with much difficulty.

Booth shook his head but he knew Sweets couldn't see. He had a lump in his throat and words wouldn't go past it. He wanted to assure his young friend and felt powerless to do so. Instead he sat on the ground holding his head, afraid to touch even his shoulder, he looked to be consumed with pain.

Brennan barely touched his side where the broken ribs lay and Sweets face squeezed into a repressed and painful soundless cry. He kicked his foot at the reaction of the pain and Brennan tried to keep her composure at the sight of the blood, bruises and debris embedded in his bare injured feet.

"Where is that ambulance?" Brennan asked with gritted teeth.

Booth pulled out his phone with a shaking hand he couldn't control. He was glad the voice on the other end spoke before he had to, Booth wasn't sure he himself could.

"We're right over the hill from you agent Booth, we're getting the signal from the car."

Booth hung up the phone and looked down at Sweets. "Hang out Sweets, they're almost here." He said in a whisper.

Sweets head turned in the palm of Booth's hand towards the voice. His dark chocolate eyes were fused with red when he opened them. He wanted to say something but instead he began to cough, a force that shook his body and racked it with pain. Booth grabbed his shoulder to try and hold it still, a motion in itself that caused just as much pain. Booth swore under his breath, then said a little prayer that the ambulance would hurry.

Before Sweets could stop coughing it arrived and with the dust having settled was able to see them in advance to avoid hitting them as well. The paramedics rushed from the vehicle and soon a stretcher arrived. The techs looked at each other and in seconds knew this was beyond what they were able to work on in the van.

The lead paramedic called in to the chopper who was still on the ground and arranged to rendezvous with him and life flight Sweets to the hospital. When he was done with his call he got behind the driver's seat to find that everyone, including Booth and Brennan were loaded and ready to go.

It was only a second but he saw the agent's arm around the woman partner, both of them tense as though looking down at a beloved child. He put the car in drive and sped off as fast as he could to the waiting chopper.

* * *

The ambulance bounced on the roads and with each bump Sweets face cinched in pain. Booth wanted to tell the driver to slow down but he also wanted to tell him to speed up. The techs were checking Sweets eyes and the injuries to this head.

Booth reached in and took the young man's hand in his own. Booth's breathing hitched as Sweets hand didn't move, instead was motionless at first but after a second Sweets fingers moved as he realized someone was there. Brennan put her hand over both until they arrived at the chopper just a moment later.

* * *

Sweets was loaded quickly into the chopper and Brennan knew that the speed to which they were moving meant it was bad. They were more concerned it seemed to get him there over securing him properly. Brennan kept a watchful eye while Booth's phone rang.

"So?" Angela asked.

"We have him." Booth said dryly looking at the mangled figure being loaded on the chopper.

"Agent Booth?" The pilot asked and Booth was glad he wasn't going to have to pull rank to get on board. He took Brennan's hand as they boarded.

"Oh thank God." Angela said as she heaved a sigh.

"Let's don't break out the champagne just yet." Booth said thru clenched teeth.

"We'll meet you there." Angela said cutting off the line, knowing what Booth meant.

* * *

The helicopter ride made for a quick ride to the hospital as they were able to land on the helipad. Brennan watched closely for any change in Sweets but he seemed to be frozen in time, nothing good nor anything bad on the ride. It seemed as though he were content to be flying, free and careless. As they landed on the helipad she thought things just might be okay, until Sweets vitals began to rapidly drop.

It was a bit of a blur as they pushed him past the partners, seeing him in his dirtied and damaged clothes. She thought of the videos they had been sent with the burn marks, the kicks, all hidden from what they had yet to see, yet the scars they had seen were bad enough. Brennan's feet fell from under her and she sat on the ground as Sweets disappeared from sight.

The stress had added up, the adrenaline from the moment gone and she was left with an exhausted feeling of despair.

"Bones?" Booth said wrapping his arm around her to help her up. "Bones please." He pleaded again but she wouldn't get up.

"What if we lose him?" She whispered.

She looked up at Booth with tears threatening to spill over and saw that his eyes were the same. Something about that surprised her and yet comforted her to know she was not alone in her fears or her feelings towards their young friend.

"I can't." He said more from his lips moving than sound that didn't come out.

Brennan stood up and took Booth's hand as they walked on. She knew they had to be strong for each other, for Sweets.

* * *

They sat in the waiting room for a time they did not comprehend. Their minds were elsewhere as the rest of the team began to trickle in.

"Seeley?" A voice asked breaking Booth from his thoughts. He looked up to see Cam looking down at him, Emma at her side. They both had looks of anticipation on their faces. He looked to see Brennan was gone, he hadn't realized she got up.

"Cam." He said in what he could only offer a note above a whisper.

"How…." She began but she had never seen Booth so distraught before and she lost the ability to say the rest.

"He is coming out of surgery." Brennan said approaching them. "I've been quite annoying the doctors have told me with my constant inquiries. But I, I had to know, something." She said her clinical voice dissolving as she reached the end of her sentence.

"Angela and Hodgins will be here soon, they were taking the kids from daycare to a sitter." Cam explained.

"Emma, I'm glad to see you are not in jail." Brennan said to Emma who looked up in surprise, her mind had been elsewhere.

"Yes, thanks to Dr. Soroyan and Miss Julian. But I'm afraid I am no longer employed at the bureau, but that's not important, hopefully it helped to find Dr. Sweets." She said trying to keep her own composure.

"It was." Booth said with a smile. He couldn't think about much more and they all sat and waited until Angela and Hodgins arrived so they could sit quietly.

"I can't believe this is happening." Hodgins finally said breaking the silence. "Sweets was really getting it all together you know? He had really become so much more than that annoying guy." He looked to Emma. "Not that he was annoying he was just…"

"Persistent?" She asked and they smiled.

"Let's not talk about Sweets like he's gone okay?" Booth suggested but didn't want to look at them. They nodded though they were all thinking of their young protégé.

"I'm going to annoy the doctors again." Brennan said and left. She returned a moment later.

"Sweets is out of surgery, they are putting him in a room and we can see him soon." Brennan said and the group had a feeling she was not saying as much as she could.

"So he's going to be…." Hodgins said trying to prompt her with more.

"They don't know. Which seems irrational to me." Brennan said. "While each of Dr. Sweets injuries is fully recoverable, they are concerned with the number of those injuries."

"Lance Sweets?" A nurse asked approaching them.

"Dr. Lance Sweets." Booth corrected and they were all a bit surprised. If anyone teased Sweets about not calling him a doctor it would be Booth.

"You can see him now." She said leading them down the hall. "The doctor is with him now and he's coming off the anesthetic. The doctor asked me to caution you that he is very weak and may not respond well. However based on the fact that we were informed Dr. Sweets was in captivity, it would be best to have familiar faces around."

"Is he in intensive care?" Brennan asked almost concerned they were not heading in that direction.

"No, Dr. Sweets is breathing on his own and has maintained a steady heartbeat. He has been placed near the nurses station based on the number of injuries he has sustained. Here we are."

She stopped and went her own way but the doctor came to the door before they could go in.

"I'm Dr. Henry Wilson." The kind and older doctor said to them. "I'll be taking care of Dr. Sweets, if you have anything I'll be happy to help. Dr. Brennan, you asked for Dr. Sweets x-rays and we will get them to you." Brennan smiled though she felt a little guilty about her insistence.

"Now I stopped you because normally I would want to limit visitors with someone in this condition, but as the nurse said, being the situation he just emerged from, I believe that having familiar faces around will help. He has been very responsive so far, but I'm afraid of when the seriousness of the situation sinks in, as he recovers, how it will be. I know you are all not family so this may be a lot to ask."

"We are family." Booth said interrupting. "I can't speak for everyone but I'm…"

"Yeah, you can." Cam said looking at everyone who nodded their heads. "We're all in Seeley, Dr. Wilson."

"Okay, then just be careful when you see him. I understand you have knowledge of what happened, just know that he has few places that aren't bruised, burned or broken. I'll be back in a little while."

Hodgins took Angela's hand as they went in, Cam took Emma's as they both needed some support and Booth took Brenann's hand last as they filed in. The last two were the least surprised, having seen Sweets before.

Angela took a sharp breath in and Sweets eyes opened.

"I look pretty bad huh?" He asked and began to cough.

"Sweetie, no, hey, don't talk okay?" She said standing to his side. Emma and Cam went to the other side. "You don't look bad, I just, I don't like…" Angela's voice trailed off, she didn't have the right words to say.

"We're just glad you're still with us Dr. Sweets, Lance." Cam said lightly putting her hand inside his. She tried to hide the sharp intake of breath at the number of treated cuts on his hands. She hadn't seen any footage to know where those came from. She got the idea that Sweets was clawing for his own life in some way, the thought hurt to comprehend all he had been thru.

"I didn't miss another date did I?" Sweets asked Emma with a voice that faded in and out. Cam stepped aside so Emma could step closer.

"No, you didn't. I'll be here, waiting for the next one." She leaned forward and kissed a corner of his head, one of the few places that didn't have a bruise or cut. Sweets gave a small smile.

Sweets could tell they were all trying to offer brave faces.

"I am a psychologist you know, I can read your expressions." He said with another cough. Booth stepped forward with a stern face.

"Then read this one Sweets, stop talking." Booth's hard expression melted at the young man's hurt eyes. "We've got plenty of time to talk. Right now just isn't one of them. And yeah you dummy, we are all concerned. And yeah, I'll be honest. You look terrible. Has a lot to do with the concerned looks."

Sweets started to say something and Angela put a light hand on his shoulder as though suggesting he not push Booth to take action.

"And no arguing either, we're going to stay here and keep you company." Hodgins began. "Or maybe it's the other way around. We thought we lost you for a while, a few times. I'd like to keep an eye on you."

The others nodded and added a "me too."

Sweets began to shake his head as though to suggest they all go but they sat down. He idly wondered as he drifted off if things had really changed, they still never listened to him. This time he was glad.


	15. Chapter 15

15.

They had stayed collectively for a few hours, just happy to watch Sweets sleep. It seemed strange but just watching him sleep meant that he was alive and in peace. Well, a drug induced peace but a peace nonetheless. Eventually the long days had caught up from trying to find him and they began to drift off. Booth insisted on staying with Sweets and few questioned him on the decision.

To Booth however it wasn't just about being there for Sweets so he didn't wake up alone but Ryan & Victor were still two crazies on the loose. Booth had already insisted on keeping Sweets there under an assumed name, just in case. He still had a bad feeling about them.

It was near midnight when Sweets began to move. It started with a twitch, then became a shaking. Booth got up and moved closer when Sweets started to murmur pleas to stop.

"Sweets, hey, wake up, it's okay." He tried to coax the man to awake but Sweets continued to plea in mumbled words for someone to stop.

Booth began to feel a panic come on, he wasn't sure how to wake Sweets without hurting him.

"Sweets, come on, wake up buddy." He said putting a hand on his shoulder and trying to shake gently.

Sweets eyes shot open in a panic and painful expression. Booth let go immediate but stayed close so Sweets could see him. Though Sweets eyes were open they weren't focusing on anything. After a moment his breathing slowed but then Sweets grabbed at his side in pain.

"Sweets, you need some meds?" Booth asked and Sweets jumped, surprised Booth was there.

"No, no, it's fine." Sweets said but it was obvious he wasn't. Booth left for the doctor ignoring Sweets pleas that he not.

Sweets found that waking up was like waking up to getting hit by a truck. Suddenly everything shouted all at once in pain and he was having a hard time focusing. He could feel the pain meds from earlier had worn off but they left him with an extremely nauseous feeling.

The doctor arrived with a syringe and Sweets shook his head.

"Dr. Sweets I'm afraid this is beyond your control, you must be administered medications or you'll have a much worse reaction." The doctor said as the syringe was administered into the IV line.

It quickly took its effect and Sweets began to relax. Sweets had a sad and defeated look in his eye. Booth felt a pang of guilt for nearly tattling on Sweets but he knew he had to make a decision for Sweets. Nor could Booth stand to see Sweets in that much pain. The doctor checked vitals and left.

Booth sat back down in his chair and pulled his seat closer to Sweets. Sweets head was moving some of it's own accord, the same sad look still in his eye.

"Sweets, look, this is good for you, you need to be able to relax and get some sleep okay?" Booth said trying to encourage him. It hurt when Sweets looked at him with hurt and angry eyes, ones that read that Booth had betrayed him.

Booth met his gaze back. "Why, why does it bother you so much?" Booth asked, infused with exhaustion for no sleep in the last two days and every moment of that time laced in worry. He knew he shouldn't be angry with Sweets but he was too tried to be rational.

Sweets rolled his eyes and looked away.

"Dammit, don't do that. You want me to take you seriously as a grown man and you do that!" Booth said pushing himself back into his chair and crossed his arms.

Sweets sighed and tried to clear his throat. Booth relented from his fit and poured Sweets a cup of water. He handed it to Sweets who was having a hard time holding it but he wouldn't take Booth's help. After a quick sip the cup proved too hard for Sweets heavily cut hand to hold and it fell soaking the hospital gown. The dark scars from the burn marks instantly penetrated the light fabric. Booth cringed at the memory of those in that rest stop.

He instantly stood and took the cup away. He pulled Sweets blanket up over the wet mark so Sweets did not see and would thus not be reminded of them. He wasn't entirely sure that worked but he changed his demeanor.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I'm just so…" Booth stopped to rub his eyes.

"You should get some rest." Sweets said lightly.

"Yeah, probably a good idea." Booth said leaning back in the chair and putting his feet in the chair opposite him.

"I meant at home, your wife and daughter." Sweets said and began to cough.

"Oh they'll be here tomorrow to irritate you and the doctors." Booth promised.

"Booth I meant…"

"I know what you meant Sweets, but until you start talking to me about what's really going on then I'm staying."

Sweets continued to relax as the pain medication set in. He wondered if it were best to appease Booth to get him to go home.

"It's catching up to me." Sweets said and Booth turned his attention back to Sweets. "The whole time with Ryan, I wanted to build a wall around myself. I spent enough time with that man breaking me down. If I did it again, it would take years to undo, again."

"So you were trying to tough it out?" Booth said lacking the clinical terms.

"I was trying to block it out, it's just about hiding."

"Sweets, that's not hiding, what you went thru, to still be here, that's survival, it was incredible."

"You're proud?" Sweets asked sarcastically.

"I know I have often kidded you about you being a kid, but Sweets, you underestimate yourself. And you don't have to do this alone." Booth put his feet back in his chair.

In moments Sweets seemed calm enough to drift off.

* * *

The next morning Sweets woke up with a mixed feeling of being glad he was alone in the room and feeling anxious about it. He looked down at his hands and touched his face. He pondered if he should ask for a mirror and if that image would be better or worse than he imagined. He forgot about it as his stomach took a turn and he felt the desire to throw up despite having an empty stomach.

"Hey, you're awake." A familiar voice said and Sweets repressed the urge to regurgitate nothing and instead smile as Max came in.

"Sorry, I had to step out to pee." Max said sitting back in the chair and picked up a book that had been lying in it. Sweets suddenly realized Max had been here. It made him a little uncomfortable that Max was assigned to watch him sleep.

"Man, I appreciate that Booth and Dr. Brennan care so much, but it's not necessary…"

"It kind of is kid." Max said looking at anything but Sweets. Sweets was immediately concerned but not as much with his words but his uncomfortable reaction. "I don't know the whole story, they just asked if…"

"You're lying." Sweets said and Max had to smile.

"Can't get anything past you. Booth didn't want me to say anything. He left this morning because something was going on with those guys who had you. Now honestly, I don't know a lot more. But Booth wanted someone who wasn't afraid to shoot anyone to be here." Max said and opened his book suggesting he wasn't going to discuss much more.

"Good morning Dr. Sweets." A cheery and plump nurse said bringing in a tray of food. She took away the containers that kept it warm and the smell of the food made Sweets want to vomit. Again he swallowed away the urge.

"Enjoy!" She said as she left.

"Wow, that smells good." Max said eying the plate. Sweets wondered how and thought of an idea.

"You want it?" Sweets asked as he saw Max salivating over it.

"No, you need it kid." He said going back to his book but unable to take his eyes off the hot food.

"I'm really not a morning breakfast person." Sweets lied pushing the plate towards Max. "I'll get something at lunch." Sweets hoped that would be more appealing.

"Well, I hate to see things go to waste." Max said and took the plate as Sweets drifted off again.

* * *

Sweets woke with a feeling of panic as he felt hands on him. His breathing was quickening and he could tell his heart beat was increasing from the sounds of the monitor.

"It's okay Dr. Sweets." He heard a voice try and calm him but he didn't want to open his eyes. "Please Dr. Sweets, please, calm down, I'm just checking your injuries." The voice said again, more concern that he calm down but he couldn't.

"Dr. Sweets, I need you to calm down or you're going to be in cardiac arrest." The voice said again but Sweets couldn't calm the panic attack that was coming on.

"Dr. Sweets…" The voice began and everything was going fuzzy when Sweets felt two hands wrap around his.

"Lance, it's okay." The female voice was so calm that Sweets relaxed enough to open his eyes. After a moment Emma came in focus. His breathing began to decrease.

"Emma, what are you doing here…" Sweets began to say, now embarrassed.

"I just stepped out, so the doctor could examine you." Emma said nodding over to Dr. Wilson.

"Would you prefer that the young lady stay?" The doctor asked and Sweets realized Emma had been here a while but had stepped out at the doctor's request. Sweets seemed unable to make up his mind.

"I would like to, please Lance." Emma said. She suspected that Sweets wanted her to stay but was too uneasy to ask. This made it easier for him to fill a request _for her_. It worked and he said yes.

Emma kept her eyes trained on Sweets face as the doctor went over his bandages, checking them for infection and improvement. She knew that Sweets wouldn't want her to see them. Instead she tried to keep his attention.

"I'm glad to see you are awake, you look much better today." She said offering a big smile on her sweet face that Sweets was able to melt into. Sweets suddenly noticed she was wearing jeans and a boat neck tee shirt.

"What day is it?" He asked. He was pretty sure he hadn't been out for days on end.

"It's Thursday."

"Did you take the day off?" Sweets asked feeling bad that she had.

"No, uh, I mean yes." Emma lied. It was a bad move because of course Sweets immediately noticed.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

Sweets gave her a signature look that read "really, you're going to lie to me?"

"Just a little misunderstanding." She said and Sweets narrowed his eyes. "I may have accidentally broke into another agent's office and gotten arrested."

"Accidentally?" Sweets asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, I get so confused sometimes." She lied but with a smile. "It was for a good cause."

Sweets put two and two together and realized he was four.

"Don't worry, Miss Caroline Julian and Agent Booth are working it out, I'm now only suspended until they can prove it was essential to the case."

"I don't want to you lose your job because of me." Sweets said guilty.

"I didn't want to lose you for not doing everything I could." She smiled back and suddenly Sweets felt much better. "It will all work out." He knew she knew that was not an entirely set in stone statement but her concern for him gave him a much needed boost.

The boost however quickly dissolved as the doctor pressed on Sweets ribs. He clenched his teeth and grabbed tightly on Emma's hands he had been holding. She jumped at the pinch.

"I'm sorry!" Sweets said starting to let go but Emma held on tighter.

"You just surprised me is all. I'm not glass, I'll be fine." She said smiling again to calm the nervous Sweets.

She looked up at the doctor who had been opposite them during the examination. Emma had tried hard to draw Sweets attention away from the doctor and it had worked, until now.

"Everything okay?" Sweets asked upon seeing the quizzical glance on the doctor's face.

"I'd like to run another set of x-rays. Just to be sure of something but there is nothing to worry about." The doctor said with a smile but Sweets knew the doctor was lying. Still he smiled back at Emma, happy to continue their discussion but lunch arrived.

Sweets fought back the same urge to vomit. He felt the same metallic taste in this mouth so he knew he had been administered another dose of pain medication. He hoped he hadn't been talking in his sleep while Emma was there, begging to be free. The thought did not increase his appetite any.

"Looks like a good lunch." Emma said taking off the lid and pushing the tray closer to Sweets. The closer the food came the more he wanted to throw up.

"What's wrong?" She asked at his expression that the food appeared to be a monster clawing at him.

"I just had a big breakfast." Sweets lied. "I don't think I can eat all that again." He said pushing the tray back away with his knuckles, they didn't hurt as much as his fingers.

"Oh, that's right the nurse said you ate everything on the plate." Emma said and suddenly he was glad that Max had ate it all and apparently said nothing. He was sure he would feel better by dinner. For now he felt incredibly tired again.

"You look sleepy." Emma said shifting in her seat. Sweets let go of her hand put she put one hand back in hers and opened her book with the other.

"This suspension will be good for one thing, I can read my book." Emma said flipping it open. Sweets was glad to see that books had since not gone out of style.

"You don't have to stay." He said as he began to drift away but hoped she would stay, he felt relaxed when she was here despite his fears he would say something nonsensical in his sleep.

"Well I'd just be sitting at home reading." Emma teased. "And I'd like to stay."

"Me too." Sweets said and Emma could tell he was entering the incomprehensive state.

"Do I still smell nice?" She teased.

"Like tears and roses." He answered and she wasn't sure what that meant.

* * *

Sweets woke from a heavy sleep for a second as he felt two soft lips on his cheek. The nice smell faded away soon after and he knew Emma had gone. The bed was moving and even the slight motion made him feel queasy.

In the hall his eyes drifted open and shut as he saw a man in a suit in the hall as he went by. He wondered who it was and recalled the belt buckle and knew it was Booth. He wondered why he was back so soon.

Sweets was still in a haze as the x-rays began and he wondered why he had to get more. He wondered if Brennan would demand to see them from the doctor or if he would just have two sets made for her to keep her busy and leave him alone. The thought amused Sweets but he wondered why he still felt so faint and sluggish. He hadn't woken up this fuzzy before.

He knew he was being wheeled back into the hall and could hear the sound of an argument beginning.

"….no you can't put in a chest tube!" What sounded like Dr. Brennan said. Sweets wondered who they were talking about. "With the other trauma to his chest the pain would be immense." He realized it was him.

"We have pain medications…" The doctor was saying but Sweets groaned at the thought of more of them.

"I'm not comfortable taking him back in surgery, he's too weak…" The doctor's voice began again. Sweets felt like he should have an opinion in the matter.

He tried to move to the side to get their attention which he did but unfortunately it consisted of the words, "I don't think he's breathing."


	16. Chapter 16

16.

"What do they mean they missed it?" Angela was shouting thru clenched teeth.

"With the number of Dr. Sweets other injuries they didn't see it before." Cam said trying to calm her down.

Sweets felt very good waking up this time. He felt like a white fluffy cloud or a blimp, light and fluffy and floating.

"Shh, he's awake." Cam said and the two came over to the bed.

"Sweets, how are you feeling?" Cam asked.

"Fine, fluffy." Sweets answered.

"Is that good or bad?" Angela asked Cam.

"It means they upped the dose of pain medications." Cam explained. "Dr. Sweets, can you understand me?"

"Yes I can Thumper." Sweets said and Cam looked confused. "And Angela is Flower and…"

"Oh boy." Cam said. "I think he's in Bambi."

"Oh boy is right, I hate when Bambi's mom gets shot." Angela said.

"Did I get shot?" Sweets asked confused.

"No, no honey, just forget that." Angela said calming him back down.

"Ryan is the hunter." Sweets slurred.

Angela & Cam were both instantly concerned.

"No, no, look Sweets, let's not worry about Bambi or anyone right now. How are you feeling?"

"Fine, I feel fine." Sweets said but they knew that was probably not an accurate measurement.

"You gave us a scare there Dr. Sweets." Cam said and Sweets realized the concern in her voice and gave a quizzical glance. "You went into surgery, you had a swollen lung from the broken ribs."

Sweets recalled the conversation from earlier and wondered who it was that won, Dr. Brennan or Dr. Wilson.

"But things should be much better now Sweets. You should get some rest." Angela said laying a hand on his arm.

"I'm tired of not feeling well." Sweets moaned.

"I know, but if you get some sleep, I promise that tomorrow we can do something, maybe go outside for some fresh air?" Cam suggested and Sweets smiled as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Sweets woke up to the sound of a thunder clap. The sudden sensation of waking gave him a headache. He heaved a sigh and his chest instantly hurt. He heard a ruffle of papers and turned his head to see who it was. Emma gave him a big smile and sat down her crossword puzzle.

"I hope you don't mind, I didn't think you would want the puzzle." She gave a big smile but Sweets didn't smile back.

"Because I can't do much of anything." He fussed pulling at the sheet that was stuck. Emma got up to help.

"I'm not stupid, I can do it." He fussed and pulled hard on it but his hand pulled back and hit himself in the chest. The pain was deep. Emma pressed the nurse button and Sweets was livid.

"What did you do that for?" He spat as her eyes went wide with surprise.

Emma was still stunned when the nurse came in.

"How are we today?" The cheery nurse asked.

Sweets mumbled something that included two expletives.

"I think you need some meds and some breakfast." The chubby nurse suggested turning from the room.

"I don't want any!" Sweets shouted. "Of either."

Emma hadn't seen Sweets be so unpleasant. She wasn't sure how to react.

"What do you want?" Sweets asked her in a menacing tone.

"I thought…" Her voice trailed off, she no longer knew what she thought.

"Look, I'm just tired of everyone looking at me like I'm an invalid." Sweets shouted and looked at his bandaged hands and feet and knew that was pretty accurate, but he still didn't like it.

"I'll come back later." Emma said picking up her purse.

She wasn't sure if Sweets said, whatever or don't bother. Either way she left feeling miserable.

She was at the end of the hall when someone stopped her.

"Excuse me miss, do you where Lance Sweets is at?"

"He's down the hall. I'm afraid he isn't receiving visitors right now." She said and thought the man looked a little familiar but not.

"Oh, that's too bad, I came all this way, been the in the car for days you know." He said and wobbled on his feet.

"Are you okay?" Emma asked as she reached out to steady the man.

"Yes, I'm just so tired." He said.

"I'm heading out, I can walk you to the door." She offered.

"That would be so kind, thank you miss." Ryan said as they walked to the door.

* * *

Booth looked down the hall as he came in and saw Emma at a distance leaving with a man walking with a cane. He wondered why she left so soon. In a couple of minutes he found out why when he encountered crabby Sweets. Crabby Sweets had just pushed the table with breakfast away and against the wall.

"Are you done with your tantrum?" Booth asked standing at the door. "You want to tell me what just happened with Emma?"

Sweets mumbled some more and Booth could only imagine what the grumblings were about. Booth was ready to start a lecture when he noticed Sweets eyes couldn't stay focused. He reached for the nurse call button and Sweets tried to get there first. Booth noticed instantly that Sweets had no strength to even try and push his hand away.

"What's wrong with you?" Booth asked. "You were fine then you're not, then you push Emma away. I get that you're not well, but what's up?"

"Nothing." Sweets said as he lay back against the bed. The impact as usual caused a reverberation of pain but he ignored it, he was tired of the pain, tired of the nausea.

The nurse came in.

"I see breakfast was appetizing." She said with a hand on her hip.

Booth had a curious thought as he looked at Sweets. He could swear the young doctor was more than just pale, he was thinner.

"Hey," Booth began. "What have you eaten since you got here what three days ago?"

"The doctor said to expect his appetite to be small from the trauma." The nurse said almost defensively.

"Okay, so what did you eat?" Booth asked Sweets who looked away.

"Whatever is here." Sweets said not looking at Booth but finding it hard to lie.

"I'm checking the log." The nurse said and left.

"What?! I don't want to eat. This damn medication makes me sick, I tried to tell you people that!" Sweets shouted and the nurse said she was going to get the doctor.

Sweets let out an exasperated sigh while Booth's phone rang.

"Booth." He said. The doctor came in and Sweets was trying to ignore them both. "Yeah, what, say that again. He was spotted where? How come you're not sure?! What kind of disguise? Yeah call me ASAP." Booth said hanging up. Sweets attention was completely drawn away from the concerned doctor.

"What's that about?" Sweets asked his mood defrosting some.

"Nothing." Booth said but he knew that wasn't going to fly. He knew he should have left the room to take the call, he was just taken aback by it. He knew it wasn't fair to lie to Sweets. "We've been tracking Ryan and Victor Masters."

Sweets knew they had gotten away but had somewhere in his mind assumed they had been caught. "And?" Sweets asked.

"And they were being tracked around the D.C. area and they were maybe spotted around your apartment." Booth said but paused to pick up his phone again.

The doctor waited as this seemed to be about as pressing of a matter.

"Booth. Yeah. Here? At the hospital? How come no one…." Booth listened. "Did you say a cane?" Booth asked as the color drained from his face. "Get on it NOW!" Booth shouted and hung up the phone and dialed another number.

Sweets could hear him as he ran down the hall. "Angela, just run a search an Emma's phone, NOW."

Sweets stomach sank. _What have I done?_


	17. Chapter 17

17.

Booth ran to the parking lot though he knew in advance that he was going to be too late. He looked and saw no one. He knew Emma had no car and probably took the transit here so no sense to look for a car that didn't exist. His phone chimed.

"Booth, I've got a signal. It's moving." Angela said. Booth ran for his vehicle.

"Where? Are you sure she has it or did Masters dump it in another car?" Booth asked, the feeling of helplessness sinking in.

"I don't know Booth, I can't be sure." Angela said but Booth went after the signal anyway.

* * *

Back in the hospital room Sweets was trying to stave off a panic attack.

"Dr. Sweets, you need to calm down, I understand this is unsettling…" Dr. Wilson was saying but Sweets waved him off.

"I need to go." Sweets said pulling off the sheets.

"What? Uh, no Dr. Sweets I would highly discourage this course of action."

Sweets wasn't listening as Hodgins came in the room.

"Hey, whoa, Sweets, what's going on?" Hodgins asked as his cell phone began to ring and he answered. "Ange, slow down, what?"

"I need a wheel chair." Sweets told the doctor who was still shaking his head. "Fine, I can crawl out."

The doctor motioned with his hands for him to slow down. "I'll get one if you sign the discharge papers. I don't want to be libel for what's happening." He said as he left the room.

"Yeah, I'm here with Sweets now." Hodgins was saying. "I can be back there soon."

"I'm coming with you." Sweets said and Hodgins began to shake his head at the doctor who appeared to be thinner than the last time he saw him. Hodgins considered though if a psycho had Angela or Michael Vincent would he be doing the same thing. He left for a wheel chair.

Sweets had donned some scrubs that Hodgins confiscated from a closet and soon they were racing down the hallway. The doctor chased Sweets and Hodgins down the hall to get them to sign papers. Sweets scribbled something as they headed out the exit. The doctor sighed as he was half glad the crazy group was gone, but he knew this was not a good course of action.

* * *

"Ange, we're on our way to the Jeffersonian. Was Booth able to track the phone?" Hodgins asked as Sweets squeezed the car handle to sit up straight. The pain was not in the forefront of his mind. If anything happened to Emma he wasn't going to be worried about this pain.

"No, well yes and no." Angela said over the speaker phone. "He caught up with the driver but it was in the back of a delivery car. Booth scared the crap out of some kid making ten bucks an hour."

Hodgins was weaving thru traffic. "Well what kind of leads do we have? We…" Hodgins was immediately cut off as the car was impacted on the drivers side when a car ran the red light at an intersection.

The side glass exploded and Sweets closed his eyes out of a reaction. He brushed away the small pieces of shattered glass and opened his eyes slowly. Hodgins head was resting on the car frame and a small trickle of blood was coming from it. Sweets put a hand on Hodgins shoulder as he mumbled but remained out.

The passenger door flung open and Sweets was pulled from the seat before he could realize what was happening. A car rumbled and pulled up beside them. It had been hit but was still running.

"Good job son, we got the right side of the car this time." Sweets knew it was Ryan's voice and felt himself being tossed in the car like a laundry bag.

The car sped off and Sweets realized Emma had been bait, he was the catch.

* * *

"WHAT?!" Booth shouted into the phone. "You CANNOT be serious Cam. What do you mean Hodgins was in an accident?"

"I only wish I were kidding." Cam said standing by Brennan who was consoling Angela.

"How is Hodgins?" Booth asked.

"He's at the scene. He's fine he's being checked out by paramedics. They want him to go in to get a head scan but he's insisting he'll do that later. I swear, people who do not want medical attention and need it."

"What, what do you mean?" He said confused at what she meant.

"Didn't you listen to all of my message?"

"No, I was on a call, heard you saw Hodgins & accident and called you back."

Cam groaned. "On the rest of the message I said that Hodgins was in an accident - with Sweets. Sweets insisted on leaving the hospital when he found out Masters had Emma."

"And Sweets is?"

"Not at the accident."

"Where is Hodgins?" Booth asked thru gritted teeth.

* * *

Booth appeared at the scene to find Hodgins being taped up at the back of an ambulance. He saw the passenger side of the car was open while the drivers side had a hard impact.

"What they hell were you thinking?!" Booth shouted. "You took Sweets with you?!"

"Hey, don't yell at me man, you would have done the same if it were Brennan." Hodgins shot back and the officers on the scene weren't sure if they were going to have to break up a fight. Booth flashed his badge and they gave the men some space.

"Alright, we're not going to argue, right now we have to find Sweets and Emma."

* * *

Sweets questioned his plan as the car came to a stop after not being in the car for very long. The car door opened and he was pulled from the car. He squirmed to get away but unable to stand on his own bandaged feet for more than a second he fell to the ground.

Ryan grabbed his arm again and drug him once more. "You're feisty aren't you?!" Rain drops slowly began to fall as they went inside an old warehouse.

The large room stacked with crates and pallets. Ryan drug Sweets behind him around to an area with a slightly open space. Ryan pushed Sweets to the floor. There Sweets saw Emma's arms tied behind a chair.

"Looks like I got two for the price of one." Ryan said looking down at them both. Emma swallowed hard as she looked at Sweets and he was filled with guilt. Sweets started to speak but Ryan interrupted. "Don't ask me to let her go. You know that's not going to happen."

Sweets wondered where Victor was but he couldn't see him to the side with the camera again.

"We couldn't quite make the escape last time. But you know what they say, sometimes you have to flee so you can fight another day. And here we are." Ryan said motioning around him. "Took me a while to find you this time. That agent friend of yours had you at the hospital under another name and agents all over the place looking for us. Yep, had a hell of time. Till your friend helped us out." He said motioning to Emma.

Sweets looked to Emma who looked as though she were consumed in guilt.

"It's not your fault." Sweets reassured her. "He's a psychopath and I was a jerk earlier."

"Oh ho ho!" Ryan said laughing. "What's this, you two have a lovers spat?" He was beaming with excitement. "How about it Emma, want me to make him pay?"

Emma shook her head no and Ryan laughed.

"Wrong answer!" Ryan kicked Sweets in the side. He groaned and Emma pulled at the ties. "See the best thing is, with you like this, I don't have to tie you up. I mean, it's not like you're going anywhere." He said taunting Sweets.

"But what about your girlfriend here?" Ryan said walking close to her with a knife. He held it inches from her cheek.

"Don't." Sweets said getting up on his knees and holding his side with his arm.

"Oh, you gonna tell me what to do?" Ryan asked waving the knife around. "Come on, just a little cut." He said nearing her cheek again. Emma's eyes watched the knife as it came close to her skin but remained silent.

"You two are just perfect for each other, so stoic." Ryan whispered in her ear but she flinched at his bad breath.

"Leave her be." Sweets pleaded again. Ryan backed up a step and looked at Sweets.

"No." He said simply and cut her cheek, a short line an inch long but enough to draw a stream of blood. "Uh oh, guess she's messed up like you now too, only her scars aren't hidden are they boy?"

Sweets lunged forward at Ryan but was ill equipped at a fight in his condition. Ryan kicked Sweets in the back and punched him in the face.

"Stop!" Emma shouted with tears mixing into the blood on her cheek.

"You shut up or you'll have a matching one." Ryan threatened her.

"Stop it!" Emma shouted again. "And you can do just that."

Ryan stopped for a second. "Well, that's quite the offer."

Sweets spat some blood from his mouth, the last blow cutting the inside of his cheek, he hoped that's what it was anyway.

"You two are quite the courageous couple." He said walking back to Emma but Sweets pulled on Ryan's pants sending him back on his back. It wasn't long however until Ryan was standing over Sweets with his knife drawn.

"What do you say boy, do we end it….here?" He asked lining the knife up with Sweets throat.

Sweets remained silent while he tried to think.

"Would you be willing to do that for her?" Ryan asked his face against Sweets.

"You wanted to kill me anyway."

"No, I wanted to play cat and mouse with you. I don't want it to end anytime soon." Ryan hissed. "But I would if you asked. Let me ask you this, what is the question, if the answer is Emma?"

"What would I die for?" Sweets asked.

* * *

"Are you kidding me, _that's _where it ends?" Hodgins asked staring at the video on the screen.

"Well if he's going to play this cat & mouse with Sweets we can assume he's not going to kill him." Brennan observed.

"Except with the offer on the table to trade Emma's life." Cam reminded them.

"Wait, what is that?" Angela asked interrupting them.

"What is what?" Booth asked desperately.

Angela was tapping on her tablet zooming in.

"It looks like they are in some warehouse." Hodgins said.

"Can't be far. They haven't been gone that long." Cam suggested.

"It was lightly raining out the window of the back ground." Hodgins said. "It's raining hard now so this video is _very _recent."

"Right here." Angela said zooming in.

"What is that, it's like a pallet of something?" Brennan asked.

"Yes, but this looks like a bar code, a shipping bar code." Angela said running the image thru a refining software to improve the quality of the image. She cut out the image of the bar code and put it on another screen to run the bar code. "This either came to or is going from this warehouse." She said. "I should get an address."

"That's brilliant Ange." Hodgins said.

In seconds the computer produced two addresses, a ship from address in Virginia and a ship to address in D.C.

Booth had his phone out as he headed out the door with Brennan and everyone else following.

* * *

"I suppose if you wanted to die for something then love would be it huh?" Ryan said still over Sweets with the knife. "What about that other girl Daisy was it, would you have traded your life for hers?"

"Daisy wasn't meant to be." Sweets said, part of his mind knowing Emma was near.

"But Emma is huh?"

"I don't know yet."

Ryan laughed. "He doesn't know yet. What don't you know?"

"How she feels about me." Sweets said.

"Let's ask her." Ryan said jumping up. Sweets felt a panic, that wasn't what he intended to have happen.

"It doesn't matter." Sweets said struggling to an upright position.

"What do you mean?" Ryan asked.

"Let's face it, I can't ever be with anyone." Sweets said. "It's people like you that make me want to be single. Growing up with you, I'd never want to inflict that on anyone, not even if there was a chance."

"So you think I rubbed off on you?" Ryan asked.

"I don't want to test it. And so I couldn't be with Daisy."

"But Emma?" Ryan said and laughed. "What does that say about her?"

"That she reminded me of everything you're not, of new possibilities."

"No one changes kid, no one gets better." Ryan said shaking his head.

"Like Victor there?" Sweets asked and he could hear Victor shuffle forward. "He can't change can he? He's just like you."

"Damn right." Ryan said proud.

"And would you die for Victor?" Sweets asked. Ryan laughed immediately.

There was a long silence.

"What?" Ryan asked and Sweets saw he was looking past Sweets and at someone else, presumably Victor.

"I'm your son." Victor said conflicted.

"And you killed your mother." Ryan said it like he was proud.

"Yeah but she was useless, you said so yourself." Victor said emanating with hurt. "I'm different."

Ryan's lack of an answer spoke volumes. It sounded as though Victor were leaving so Ryan got up to follow him. They were out of the sight around one of the piles of pallets. Sweets slowly pulled himself up on wobbly and painful feet. He inched towards Emma though she shook her head that he not risk it. After several painful steps he tried untying her hands but the bandages on his own fingers made it laborious.

They could hear the sounds of Victor & Ryan returning. Emma was whispering for Sweets to not get caught.

"You need to get out of here, run." He said in a whisper as he was almost done, one more tie to go.

"What the hell?" Ryan said as he charged forward. He pushed Sweets into a pallet with his arm pressed against his neck. He continued to press in cutting of Sweets air supply. With his other arm he pulled out his knife. Emma pulled against the last tie which got Ryan's attention.

"Victor! Stop her!" He shouted but Emma got the tie loosened before Victor got there. She pulled the chair form behind her and swung it at Victor. He fell back on the ground. Ryan dropped Sweets to turn and grab Emma who couldn't wield the chair in time. Sweets pushed himself forward off the pallets to pull at Ryan who still had the knife in one hand.

Emma pushed herself out of the way and went to grab at anything to use as a weapon. Ryan lost interest in pursuit of her and turned his attention to Sweets was behind him. With ease he flipped Sweets to the floor and looked for the knife. Sweets had it in his hand and lunged it in Ryan's shoulder though he had aimed for his neck.

Victor rose from the floor in time to see Ryan rise back in pain at the knife. Sweets lack of nimble fingers was only able to lodge the knife in half way. Ryan pulled it out, eyes filled with an intense rage and turned the knife in his hand to come down on Sweets when a shot rang out. Ryan looked down to see a hole in his chest and blood ring out spilling on his shirt. He fell on his back dead.

Victor turned to see Booth holding a gun.

"Go ahead kid, just one excuse." Booth taunted and the kid put his hands up. In seconds he was in handcuffs. Sirens were on approach, Booth had beat them all there.

Emma ran next to Sweets who was trying to sit up.

"Hey take it easy." She insisted trying to get him to lie back down.

"No, it's easier to breathe sitting up." He said though she wasn't sure that was entirely true. "I can see you this way." He said trying to offer a small smile.

"Hey, you guys okay?" Booth asked coming closer. "Wow, you're bleeding." Booth said looking at Emma's cheek but she ignored it and looked at Sweets. "And you, ready for another trip back to the hospital?" Booth asked snarky. Booth's phone rang.

"Yeah it's all clear you can come in." He said and hung up.

In seconds Brennan, Cam, Angela and a bandaged Hodgins came in the door.

"They all insisted on coming." Booth said under his breath as they all stormed over. They all looked like they had a lot on their mind, most of which was scolding for the both of them. But seeing the pair on the floor the decided not to chastise and just be glad they were both alive.

"Dr. Sweets, we should get you back to the hospital." Cam said insisting on it by trying to help him up.

"No, I was discharged. I don't think I can go back." He said.

"That's nonsense, I'm sure you have new injuries since you've been on your own for about a half hour." She said sarcastically. "At this point we can get a group rate."

Sweets knew this not often found sarcasm was Cam's way of masking concern.

"I think Dr. Sweets is tired of hospitals." Emma suggested and he was glad one person was on his side.

"Well let's get out of this place. One too many dead rats here." Booth said glancing over at Ryan.

Booth & Ryan helped Sweets up and with an arm over each of their shoulders kept most of his light weight off his feet. Cam looked at Emma's cheek and suggested they go back to the lab where she could at least treat everyone if they were not going to consent to a trip to the hospital.

Cam started with looking at Emma's cut, at the insistence by Hodgins and Sweets that she go first. She treated it so it wouldn't get an infection and next was a fresh bandage for Hodgins. She preferred he get a CT scan but after five minutes decided not much damage could be done to Hodgins hard head.

Cam spent a good amount of time with Sweets, redressing the bandages on his hands and feet that had either reopened or gotten torn in the scuffle. Emma came in to offer help.

"If Sweets is okay with it, I could use the help." Cam said.

Sweets considered it and smiled, he didn't want to hide his scars from Emma, if they worked he had to be honest with her. "It's not pretty." He warned her.

"I don't scare easily." She said waiting for Cam to instruct her.

"I've noticed." Sweets said as Emma rewrapped Sweets hands.

"Well we closed that case." Booth said entering the area everyone was. He had been filing reports at the F.B.I. after the shooting while they were bandaging up at the Jeffersonian.

"Normally I would say let's go for a drink but I wouldn't take any of you people out anywhere." Booth said teasing. "Just Bones, she still looks nice."

"Hey!" Angela & Cam said.

"Oh, sorry, yes I'll take all the ladies out." Booth teased.

"Hey!" Hodgins said. "This still hurt, you know line of duty and all. I could use a drink."

"And I'm starving." Sweets kidded but it brought a huge smile to Booth's face. Sweets was still battered and bruised but he was hungry again.

"Well let's get out of here. It's Friday night, Max has the kids at the house, how about pizza and beer there?" Booth offered and no one was going to turn down pizza, certainly not beer after a day like this.

* * *

Angela helped Brennan pick up the plates from the pizza. She woke Hodgins who sat with Michael Vincent asleep in his lap. With Max and Cam they said good night and Booth & Christine walked everyone out to their cars. It was all of nine at night but it had been a long day for all of them.

Booth came back in to see Sweets and Emma asleep on the couch leaning against each other. Brennan was covering them both with a blanket and smiled as Booth caught her doing so.

"Uncle Sweets has a girl!" Christine squeaked and Sweets stirred from his sleep. Booth shushed the child.

"Uncle Sweets is sleeping." He whispered.

"I'm up, sorry." He said rubbing his eyes.

"No you're fine Sweets, you should stay." Booth said but Sweets shook his head. "No, I'll be here for months." He kidded.

"I would concur with Booth, if there is a medical issue I would be the most equipped to help. I would feel better if you and Emma stayed for the night. Tomorrow is Saturday, it would be a good day to take it easy while you recover. We will revisit the issue on Sunday evening." Brennan said walking to find a pillow.

"I…" Sweets began to protest.

"It's not up for discussion Sweets." Booth said walking away with Christine. "It's here or the hospital. You pick but you don't get to sleep next to Emma at the hospital." Booth teased as he walked away.

"Yes, don't wake her, she's probably very tired." Brennan teased as she put a pillow behind him and followed Booth to bed.

Before Sweets could protest again they were gone. He leaned back against the soft pillow. He didn't even feel soreness as Emma leaned against him. The thoughts of Ryan escaped and soon he fell into a soft and welcomed slumber.


	18. Chapter 18

Epilogue.

Sweets woke up to a pair of bright eyes looking at him. He smiled as Christine stared down at him from the top of the couch with a roll of tape. Sweets eyed the girl with curiosity.

"I got some tape!" She said proudly.

"Okay." Sweets said. "Why?"

"Because daddy says you're broken!" The little girl said and preceded to tear off short strips and stick them to Sweets head.

"Christine?" Booth called out in a whisper as he searched for the toddler.

"Here daddy, I'm fixing Uncle Sweets!" She said happily.

"Broken huh?" Sweets asked with his eyes closed so Christine could continue applying tape.

"At least I censored myself before I said more." Booth teased. "Not come on Christine, I don't think Sweets wants tape on his face." He said taking the toddler off the back of the couch.

"I don't mind. It's very thoughtful Christine." Sweets said as the girl ran around the couch to see him.

"Will you get better?" She asked and Booth cringed at the child's questions. She just didn't know any different. Booth did however admire Sweets unending willingness to play along with the child.

"I think so." Sweets said with a big smile and tried to push himself up. Booth wanted to help but Sweets seemed determined to do it himself.

"Where did the pretty lady go?" Christine asked as Sweets looked around.

"I don't know." He said realizing she was gone. Booth realized just then that she was gone as well.

"I like the pretty lady. She's funny." Christine continued.

"I like the pretty lady too." Sweets concurred.

"Well what I would like is some breakfast, how about it Sweets?" Booth hoped Sweets appetite was still going strong.

"I wanna make pancakes!" Christine shouted.

"Well if you're gonna make pancakes I'd better have some!" Sweets said enthusiastically which made Christine happy.

"Mommy! Uncle Sweets is staying for pancakes!" Christine said running to Brennan's arms who had walked in the room.

"Well that's good Christine, how about you help daddy get breakfast started." Brennan said handing Christine over to him with a look that suggested she needed a moment with Sweets while Christine wasn't there.

"How about chocolate chips in the pancakes?" Booth asked the little girl as they left.

"How are you feeling?" Brennan said sitting across from Sweets.

Sweets smiled but grimaced some. "Better." He said and Brennan realized he was indeed much better than before but far from great. She saw Sweets was looking at his dirty scrubs that had been proliferated from the hospital and drug around the dirty warehouse.

"I'm guessing you would like a shower." She said and Sweets smiled but the task seemed like a lot of work. Sweets was about to regretfully decline when Brennan stood up and started lifting his arm.

"Um, yeah, I don't know about this." Sweets said thinking of what Booth would say.

"I'll help you get there but then you're on your own." Brennan smiled as she had made a sort of joke. Sweets had to smile that she tried. "When you're done we can rewrap the dressings, they may be ready to come off so there is not any moisture trapped."

Brennan was true to her word and helped Sweets get to the bathroom and help him take the bandages off his hands and feet. The steps on his feet were painful but he was more absorbed in the realization that this was what a true friend did. Most of his life Sweets never had that kind of friendship with people. His adopted parents cared but never friends since he was generally near a decade younger than his classmates having graduated so early.

"Take your time." Brennan said as she was leaving but saw Sweets struggle with the top. "Let me help with the shirt." She said coming back in. Sweets was going to decline but she was already pulling on it.

Brennan saw the old scars, the new burn scars and the bruises in between. She knew they were all there, but seeing them in all their glory was heart breaking. Sweets could see her adding them all up in her mind and pulled the shirt close to him as though to try and cover some of them up.

"I'm sorry Sweets." Brennan said with a small lump in her throat. "I'm, I'm sorry we weren't faster."

Sweets shook his head and smiled as much as he could. "Thank you for finding me, and for helping me. It's more than I could have asked for."

Brennan nodded and left. She stood outside the door as quiet as she could to listen for any sound that Sweets needed help. She could hear him move slowly and soon water was running.

It occurred to her then that Sweets would not want to wear the dirty scrubs again so she went for some of Booth's clothes. He would surely fuss openly about it but privately he would insist on it. She peeked in the door and sat them on the sink for Sweets.

It took a while but he emerged on the stairs and Booth and Brennan could hear the shuffling while making breakfast. Booth rushed up the steps.

"Hey Sweets, what are you doing?" He asked looking at the wobbly thin figure at the top of the steps.

"I can do it." He said though the feeling of vertigo on painful feet was coming on.

"Well I'm just going to walk with you then." Booth said knowing the stubborn Sweets was an irritating Sweets.

Sweets stepped slowly down each flight and with each step Booth grimaced. He watched Sweets deeply cut but healing scars on his feet, the pits where debris and rocks had been removed. He had his hands and arms ready to catch the young man at every descent step.

"There." Sweets said proudly having gotten to the bottom one as though it were no problem. At that moment his legs he had ignored from their severe wobble gave out and Booth caught him before he could fall to the floor.

"I got ya buddy." Booth said quietly as they took the last step together. Sweets tried not to look defeated that he couldn't complete the task and Booth noticed.

"Let's not try and do everything in one day okay?" Booth suggested as he helped Sweets to the kitchen island with his arm slung around his shoulders.

Brennan noticed Christine was about to say something but she distracted the child with wiped a dab of whip cream on her nose.

"Hey mommy!" She said as she giggled. Brennan noticed Sweets still looked a little glum while he started down at his plate. She dipped her finger again and wiped it on Sweets nose. He looked up quickly in surprise and Christine laughed.

"Mommy got you too!" Christine said laughing again. Sweets couldn't ignore the child's playfulness and laughed. Brennan wiped another on Booth's nose who pretended not to know it was coming and the child laughed and this time Sweets smiled too.

"Whip cream and pancakes?" Sweets said surprised.

"With chocolate chips!" Christine said excited.

"Well this is a very special breakfast." Sweets said to Christine and then looked at the couple. "Thank you."

There was a knock at the door and Booth went to get it.

"Hi." Emma said upon seeing Booth. "I hope I'm not interrupting. I wanted to see how Lance was."

"Come in." He said with a warm welcome. "We wondered where you went." He said as she walked inside and he led her to the kitchen.

"I just wanted to change and freshen up."

"Good morning." Brennan said and Emma noticed they all had whip cream on their noses.

"Good morning." She said back, confused at the whip cream noses. "I didn't mean to interrupt anything, I can come back."

"Join us." Booth said pulling up another chair and before she could decline she was sitting down.

"Uh oh, something's missing." Sweets said in a serious voice. Before they could turn to look at him he dabbed some whip cream on Emma' nose.

"Now the pretty lady looks like us!" Christine shouted.

"Yeah she fits right in doesn't she Christine?" Booth said but winked at Sweets who rolled his eyes.

Booth and Brenann shared a smile that read, "baby ducking has a girl duckling friend."

Booth and Emma picked up the dishes while Brennan made an excuse to excuse herself and Sweets from the table. In private in the living room she looked at Sweets hands, feet and ribs and redressed some of the injuries.

"It's best that you stay off your feet." Brennan said seriously. "They're not completely healed yet and walking on them will only take longer."

"Sure but I can stay off them when I get home." Sweets said about to get up.

"Home, why go home when there's a marathon of kung fu coming on?" Booth said plopping down to put his feet up on the opposing couch. Booth did it as a gesture that suggested he wasn't going anywhere and it was an invite for Sweets to stay.

"Thank you for breakfast." Emma said in a tone that also suggested goodbye and that she was leaving.

"You want to miss kung fu?" Booth said, and understated invitation extended to her as well.

Brennan and she stood nearby that gave a look that suggested that was a stupid way to spend time.

"I'm not so sure about kung fu." She said.

"Well perhaps you might like to accompany me to the grocery store? It seems we will be having dinner guests." Brennan said. "You are welcome to join as well, it seems that Cam, Angela and Dr. Hodgins wish to check up on Sweets under the guise of a dinner meal."

"Sure." Emma said and didn't question the way that Brennan spoke.

Brennan and Emma left while Booth and Sweets became absorbed in kung fu flicks. Christine busied herself with playing on the floor.

Booth hadn't realized how tired even he was and at some point in the afternoon drifted off. It shouldn't have surprised him from the previous long days had brought. He woke to the sound of his phone buzzing but by the time he got to it he had missed a call from Angela. He was about to call back when his attention was turned to Sweets on the couch opposite him. He was asleep but his breathing was very loud and labored, caused by Christine having crawled up and fallen asleep on his chest.

Booth quickly jumped up and picked up Christine and immediately both of them woke up.

"No, no!" The child protested.

"Christine honey, you're crushing Uncle Sweets." Booth said trying to hush her so Sweets would go back to sleep.

"She's okay Booth." Sweets said though he had to cough a few times to catch his breath.

Booth sat back down on the opposite couch and soon Christine fell back asleep.

"No, it's not okay Sweets, you're still recovering. You need to get better, not you know, die just to make Christine comfortable." Booth said as Sweets relaxed again. "But that's kind that you don't mind." He added. "You'd make a great dad." Booth said thinking back to his conversation a few days before about Sweets breakup with Daisy over not wanting to have kids.

"I don't know Booth." Sweets said with a heavy sigh. "I just can't risk being like…" Sweets didn't want to say his name.

"Hey Sweets, you're _nothing _like Ryan." Booth said it softly to not wake Christine but emphatically. "How could you think that?"

"Look at Victor, he was raised by the same guy." Sweets said in defense. Sweets knew it wasn't likely but yet he couldn't shake the even slightest risk.

"And you're not _that guy _either. Look Sweets, things may not have started out ideal in life, but look at how much your parents cared, that's what you learned from right?" Booth sighed. "I just have to worry about Christine now, don't want her to be a crazy wicca person."

Sweets remembered back to his conversation days before about the young witches and raising kids.

"You're far from having a daughter like Belladonna." Sweets assured him. "Maybe there's hope for both of us." Sweets concluded.

Booth noticed Sweets was still smiling thinking about a life filled with someone, maybe Emma and little Sweets. Booth laughed a little laugh thinking of little boys running around in suits saying "interesting." He hoped they might take after Emma a little more in that department.

Booth saw Brennan and Emma return and quickly went to help her carry in items. He put his fingers to his lips to inform them Sweets was asleep.

Emma found herself soon employed in putting groceries away and then chopping a salad. She didn't mind, she didn't have anything else to do on a Saturday.

"I don't understand why everyone has to come here though Bones." Booth complained while snacking on an apple.

"I imagine it has to do with us having a large dwelling and I think everyone looks to you as the sort of patriarch." She suggested.

"Oh I'm the old man." Booth said but stepped away quickly when he heard an "clunk" and "ow" and Christine giggle. "Christine stop hitting Sweets with the magic wand, it's not really helping honey."

They all heard another "ow" come from Sweets as the child continued to giggle.

"I really don't want to intrude, I should probably get going." Emma said wiping off her hands.

"Did I say something offensive again, I have been informed I often do when I do not intend to." Brennan asked confused.

"No, I just, from what Agent Booth was saying…"

"Oh," Brennan laughed, "Booth grumbles all the time but he would be very disappointed if everyone did not come over. He cares deeply for everyone but he will not admit it."

Emma nodded in understanding and went back to her salad.

"I see that you care for Sweets." Brennan said and Emma almost cut her finger in surprise.

"Uh, yeah, he's very charming, smart and funny." Emma said feeling her cheeks get unbearably warm. "But I'm not sure what's going to happen."

Booth was coming back into the kitchen but he paused just short so he could hear the conversation out of view.

"Why is that?" Brennan asked, concerned and she wasn't sure why but she suspected that Sweets would not recover as well if Emma were to leave. "Do you not wish to stay with Sweets?"

"No, I do, that's why I'm looking for another job. I can't see him since he would be my boss. I'm looking for another job but it was hard enough to find this one. I'm afraid it will take me outside the D.C. area for much success. But please don't tell him." Emma urged. "He's got enough on his mind."

Booth held the magic plastic wand in his hand and considered weaving some of his own magic. He left to make a phone call.

The doorbell rang and the visitors arrived. Sweets slowly got up from the couch to greet them but it was laborious and everyone noticed.

"Let's sit here for a bit." Hodgins suggested to Angela and Cam who came in with him after they dropped off wine and desserts with Booth. They quickly picked up on Hodgins attempt to make Sweets feel more at ease to sit comfortably.

Brennan and Emma brought wine glasses and soon everyone partook in the friendly conversation. In a short time Booth announced that the meat was coming off the grill and they all headed to the table. Emma waited for them to all go first and turned to Sweets.

"May I escort you to the table?" She asked with a bright smile.

"No." He said smiling but sulking.

"Ah, waiting for a better offer?" She teased.

"No, I appreciate it. I'm just tired of not being able to get around. I just want to be better."

"You're rather an impatient person aren't you?" She observed.

Sweets laughed. "Yeah, a little bit."

"Well, good things come to those who wait you know." Emma said to which Sweets turned and looked at her. His smiled faded as he saw the scar on her cheek. His hand went to touch it but Emma put his hand in hers intercepting it.

"It's…" Emma began to say it was okay but instead Sweets leaned in and kissed her, she kissed back.

She beamed with a smile. "Very impatient man."

"I warned you."

"Fair enough." She said with a brilliant smile back.

"Hey you two, dinner…" Booth began but quickly read the situation.

"We're coming." Sweets said slowly standing up. "Can't miss dinner."

He slowly walked around the couch and Emma took one hand in hers while Booth walked on the other side, ready to catch if needed.

"Hey Emma, good news." Booth said. "You don't have to work for Sweets anymore."

They both paused and looked at him wondering how that was good news.

"Turns out that I'm needing an assistant. And if you want the job, you can transfer to my department. Which would be great because you know, we can all work together…" Booth said with a smile. The bright smiles returned to their faces.

"I would be interested in that." Emma said as they approached the table to the lively conversation that had already begun.

* * *

Meanwhile in Caroline Julian was proud of herself for getting Victor Masters to be charged as an adult. He was in holding for a few days and then transferred. He was out in the yard a short time when he was met by another man, Hank Gardner.

"What are you in for?" Victor asked.

"Started off with slapping my wife around, then assaulting two federal agents." He answered. "Couple of pricks with the bureau put me in here. And one was a dorky shrink"

"Yeah, I know how that goes. Wait, you said their names were?" Victor asked.

Hank shared them and Victor nodded.

"You know this just might be the start of a beautiful friendship."

* * *

**ASC: Maybe it's time for a regular mystery where Sweets has it easier next time? Maybe a little funny Sweets? Should I write a next time? I will if anyone would enjoy reading it! :) This is fun! :)**


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